


What Do You Want

by Mrskapranos



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Historical, Implied Sexual Content, Minor Violence, Some Plot, Violent Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-02-07 13:26:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 139,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12842139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrskapranos/pseuds/Mrskapranos
Summary: Tom Marvolo Riddle never loved…or so they say. What if he did love, but couldn't understand it and so destroyed it? A choice between his ultimate desire of world domination and the one thing he's always been denied: love. The story spans between his school years in the 1940s until his rise in power. You already know the end, but do you know the beginning?Many long chapters to come and will include the Chamber of Secrets, Horcuxes, Albania, Vampires, Dementors, Death Eaters, and more.





	1. December 25, 1942

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We start at the beginning.

Little Hangleton

(1994)

December 22, 1994

The old Riddle mansion was quiet as it had been vacant for some time since the untimely death of the family. However, a fire was crackling in one of the old bedrooms indicating that the old house was not abandoned as previously thought. A large snake, going by the name of Nagini, was slithering in the dark corners of the room. She was hungry and found her pleasures by searching for rats. In another room were the sounds of a wheezy man, wearily stirring the contents of a dirty cauldron. He was mumbling to himself though his mind was guarded. His master would not allow complaints, no matter how disgusting the task was. And for Wormtail, the task was beyond repulsive.

In the parlor, a large chair cozied up to the fire. At first glance, it looked as if someone's dirty laundry was thrown on the seat from sheer laziness. But with closer inspection, one would notice two gleaming slits reflecting the firelight. It couldn't be called a natural-born creature based on the fact its eyes were blood red. In fact, one would be surprised it was once called human: for it was Wormtail's master, the once mighty and powerful Lord Voldemort.

Barely able to keep warm in this pathetic excuse for a body, Voldemort was cursing himself. He had been cursing himself for quite some time, but now more than ever. He knew Christmas would soon be upon him. But the holidays were not his worry. Christmas meant more cold, and, as he was now, it meant more torture. He considered asking Wormtail to throw him in the damned fire, but then all the work it took to make this feeble corpse would be in vain. Wormtail was close to being no help whatsoever in Voldemort's mind. The Dark Lord had been in no shape to create the concoction necessary for his current, makeshift body, and Wormtail had practically no experience in creation at all. Thus, Voldemort was stuck in a body that produced and absorbed no heat whatsoever. He much rather preferred possessing snakes. At least then he could move freely and feel the fire's warmth press upon the scaly skin.

Voldemort let out a high-pitched exhale. Whatever the case was now, he knew soon he would have his former power returned. He also knew he would kill Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived would soon become the Boy Who Died. Voldemort's soul ached for his moment of revenge. He already imagined the boy's scared and sweating face. A few words, a flash of green, and he would come to an end like he should have fourteen long years ago. Patience was the key for now. As tempted as he was to just have him killed by one of his loyal members, he knew that killing Harry himself would be very sweet revenge. The Dark Lord could barely wait in anticipation for the day to come when the portkey would drop him off at Voldemort's abode.

Wormtail suddenly came and blocked the heat while interrupting Voldemort's thoughts. "My-my Lord?" he questioned nervously. Voldemort had sensed that Wormtail was constantly assuming that his master would die. It was most likely because he detested the feeding process that allowed Voldemort to survive. Thus the fat, withered man always felt as if he should check before having to pick up the thing wrapped in old rags.

"Yes, Wormtail, I am still alive," the Dark Lord responded in his high-pitched voice. Wormtail sighed and slowly picked up the wriggling form. He brought him over to the cauldron in the next room. The smell of the unicorn blood mixed with Nagini's venom made Voldemort cringe. He did not enjoy this as much as Wormtail, but he had to survive somehow. Getting past the smell, Voldemort hated that he could not feed himself the concoction. He was as an infant, not even able to feed himself properly. Wormtail started to give the creature in his arms spoonfuls of the putrid liquid.

Voldemort started choking by the fifth gulp. Wormtail, not knowing exactly what to do, shook the baby-like body. It took a quick intake of air, and then slowly breathed out. "Wormtail!" it hissed, "As much as you enjoy this, try to avoid shoving it down my throat. I can swallow unassisted, if nothing else."

"I apologize my lord." His master grunted in response. At least five more spoonfuls and he would be free for five more hours. With his red eyes, Voldemort saw Wormtail's face appear as if enjoyed feeding him as much as he would enjoy cutting off his own hand. Well, he thought, Wormtail would definitely have the opportunity soon.

As he was being towed back to his chair by the fire, the Dark Lord wondered if Fate was laughing at him for being left with Wormtail. Of all his former servants, he was stuck with the dirty rat. By now the Death Eaters had disappointed him to no extent. It seemed like most of them fled when they heard word of his downfall. Despite the shortcomings, he knew, like always, the dogs would come back to their master soon enough.

Voldemort was extremely glad when they had found Barty Jr.; he was most confident that his plan on sabotaging the TriWizard Tournament could not have been executed so well without Barty's help.

Yes, Harry Potter would be killed, and this nightmare would be over. As much as Voldemort wanted to blame others, especially the Potters, for his fall from grace that night so long ago, he knew it was ultimately his own fault. He should have realized Lily Potter's sacrifice casted old and powerful magic. Still, Harry's time had come. Now that spell would protect him no longer.

He heard Wormtail suddenly drop something on the floor. The clattering upset Voldemort from his thoughts. The Dark Lord calmed once he knew it was only Nagini sneaking up on the rat. At times, he was tempted to tell her to eat Wormtail while he was in rat form, but, as much entertainment as that would bring, it would be counterproductive. Yes, Fate was laughing at him now by allowing all the worthy Death Eaters to wind up either in prison or dead.

Romule Lestrange, one of his closest servants and best commanders, was sent to prison along with both of his sons. Bellatrix, Romule's daughter-in-law and another excellent servant, was also imprisoned. Dorado and Indus Selwyn died in battle, the way they would have wanted. Apollo Rosier had met his ends by drinking his own poison when he found out his son Evan had been killed by Alastor while being escorted to Azkaban. Arthur Macnair had unfortunately been killed by giants. And Augustus Rookwood had been betrayed and found himself in prisoned.

Zilya Dolohov had died too long ago in the early years. His son Antonin was arrested for the murders of the Prewetts. Pavo Yaxley had been arrested under the same charges as Antonin. Helio Travers died fighting off the Aurors in the beginnings of the war, and his brother Ardin was imprisoned for the murders of the McKinnon family.

Peter Avery had died at the hands of Aurors right before Voldemort's downfall. His son, Robert, was caught and now in Azkaban. Alfred Mulciber was trapped in the same duel as Avery; he was killed as well. By no surprise, his son Quincy was also imprisoned.

Voldemort stared into the fire, recollecting the losses of his own Death Eaters. Yet, there was one more gone that he had not mentioned: the Smith girl.

He cursed the day that they had come to an end. Once she was gone, it seemed that the world he built suddenly crumbled before his eyes. He didn't realize how great her influence extended, but after she left it took a whole decade to be able to wage war against the wizards. Yet he should have known the consequences, seeing as it was in the prophecy. She had been his right-hand commander, and yet he didn't realize the truth until it was too late. It was another mistake he made that cost him dearly. The Death Eaters changed after the incident as well. They saw how serious the Dark Lord was about his quest for ultimate power. They also saw how far he would go to protect his pride. Yet whatever lesson they took, Voldemort made sure they learned one thing: never to mention the name or existence of Eva Smith again.

Despite that wrinkle, he had still gone ahead with his war. And truly, it had become a war. Even with the Death Eaters at his side, the battles were trying. Though he had lost the deal with the vampires, he still had the werewolvesand the Inferi. They seemed to be enough to handle. But the Dark Lord had to wonder, would this present had been his future if Eva was still here with him?

In the early days, he had never once imagined the future to be this grave. Yes, he had prepared himself for the day his body might be destroyed. He knew, making those Horcruxes, that he might have to go through excruciating times. He trained and prepped himself to survive extreme conditions. He had been surviving on his own his entire life, at least before Eva came. That stupid girl had changed everything. When she left, he was momentarily at a loss. He had grown used to her constantly being at his side. Voldemort had cursed himself for being so weak after she was gone.

Yet now at this crucial turning point, he had to wonder: what would his life be like now if Eva stayed? Might she have stopped him from ever going to the Potters' house? Could she have stopped him? Furthermore, if his reign became great at that time, would he have even bothered with that cursed family? Surely, if Eva had not gone, his height of power would have come much earlier. He doubted as well that the war would have lasted so long.

Thinking of what could have been simply made the Dark Lord bitterer. He huffed at the fireplace, slowly losing its flames. When the flames were decidedly embers, he squealed for Wormtail to light it up further. The Death Eater heaved his way to the parlor and flicked his wand at the flames. At least it was a slight increase in comfort, Voldemort thought. It was pathetic not even being able to use enough magic to light a fire.

The warming fire did nothing to calm the flames within. What little feelings for the Smith girl remained in the past, some sort of regret still lingered. As ordered, no one ever mentioned her. Not even his enemies. Of course, that could have been due to the fact they had little to no knowledge of her. He might have felt the sting of regret in losing her, but he would not go so far as to say he missed her. However, he could imagine the improvement his spirits would gain if he did have her company. Eva would definitely have been a gross improvement from Wormtail. Even if she had not left and Voldemort still lost his powers to the Potter boy, she would still have found him Albania. She would have been able to create the proper elixir to restore a body to the Dark Lord. She would not have hid as many others had. She would have devoted her every being to him, just as she had her entire life.

But Voldemort knew, looking back on what could have been was a poison that too many swallowed themselves. He needed to focus his waning energies on the bright future; one that would involve one less Harry Potter.

Eva Smith was not here and would never be here. But still, Voldemort was able to keep a promise of hers alive. He would remember her, solely because he could never forget her.

Hogwarts  
(1942-1947)

December 25, 1942

I stared outside the tiny window, watching the snow fall into the dark abyss outside. Though it wasn't cold, I curled up on my four poster bed inside my bedroom. The other girls had gone home for Christmas vacation, and I was stuck alone in the Slytherin dorm rooms. I was always stuck alone.

I curled my toes around the green silky sheet and flipped another page of my memory album. Some could call it a diary, but I consider it more than just notes of my thoughts. I put all the pictures I ever had in it and my notes of most memorable memories. It holds my life.

On the cover, my mother had scribed out my name in red ink: Eva Amora Smith. This sole book has been my companion for six long years. Memories are the only thing that keeps you here on this earth. When you die, your body decomposes; it's only natural. But your impact on things around you won't die. The world knows you were here.

I had recorded much of my early life in here before I was able to go to school for wizards. Mother had taught me how to do an expanding spell that way I would never run out of pages. I flipped through to the pages of when I first came to Hogwarts two years ago. There was a picture of me before I was sorted, taken by one of the ladies at my previous boarding school. I beamed into the camera, happy that I was leaving. The headmistress was happy as well, since the Muggles had started their food rationing. Looking at the old photo, I smiled at my old self who, despite the smile, looked scared and nervous. It was a Muggle photo, unchanging without movement. I too felt unchanged from that moment.

I brushed my thin blond hair through my fingers and inspected the split ends. Maybe my hair grew longer, and I grew a little taller, but I felt like the same scared first year. Looking at my hair, I thought of my mother, Rebecca Smith. We shared the same golden-colored hair. She, unfortunately, married a Muggle whose name was George Smith. Though no one probably cares, I always told myself I use my mother's last name. I never knew any of his family and still do not to this day. My father died before I was born so he doesn't deserve to be remembered.

Rebecca was the niece of the well-known Hepzibah Smith, who proudly traces her ancestry all the way back to Helga Hufflepuff. Although I didn't know it until I came to Hogwarts, Hufflepuffs were identified by their tolerance of other wizards and witches, no matter their blood status. How very ironic it was, then, for my mother and me to be outcasts. The family just couldn't handle the idea of Muggle "interbreeding." I was an abomination, of course. They kept my mother's mistake hidden under the rug, so none of the other pureblood families knew about my half blood status. Luckily for my mother, she was always Aunt H's favorite niece. They wrote letters every so often after she was disinherited. In respect for my mother, Aunt H sent me to an all-girl's Muggle boarding school after she died. Looking back, she probably had a good laugh sending me to live with the Muggles. I was nine then.

My fingers fiddled with the edge of a tattered page where there was a photo of my mum holding me in her lap. I kept fidgeting and jumping out of her reach. She would silently scold me, pick me up and sit her in her lap once more. I sulked and the whole act repeated again. I was probably four or five at that time. I remembered my mum was pretty with a lot of motherly curves and deep emerald eyes. On the opposite page, there were two Muggle pictures: one of my parents together and a solo picture of my father. The top one was Mother and him in the park - she in a drop-waist day dress and he in a three piece suit. Their smiles looked fake.

In the close up of him, he was wearing a brown tweed jacket. He was very plain looking. My mum told me he had blue eyes and brown hair. His face was thin, as well as his body. I craved to have my mother's curves, but I was a flat and stiff as a board like he was. My father also gave me his cold blue eyes. I don't know what she saw in him. He looked rigid; opposite of Mother, who was warm and soft.

So when I saw her cold, dead body, I went into shock. There was not much I remember of that time. I don't remember crying, but I do remember not talking to anyone for quite a long time. After being taken away by the Ministry, I wondered what was going to happen to me. My aunt, in her graciousness, had sent me to that Muggle boarding school called Withers School for Young Women, probably to rot. Though the teachers had felt sorry for me, none of the girls there liked me very much because I caused a lot of "accidents" to happen. No one would get hurt, so I didn't even know what the fuss was about.

The one accident that caused me the most trouble was when I made the furniture to stick to the ceiling. The girls who shared my room were terrified. Since I was the odd quiet child, they blamed it on me. To their utmost happiness, I left three years later. My eyes settled on another Muggle picture: my eleventh birthday. It was taken right after I had read through my Hogwarts letter. I was smiling up at the nurse taking the picture, overjoyed with the prospects of joining a place where I might belong.

I always knew about my magic though. Mum would tell me all about the wizarding world, so I wouldn't be ignorant. "Eva, just because we aren't going to be rich, doesn't mean we can't be magical," she would say. Magic picks and chooses who will excel and who will fail. Your status doesn't matter. That was how I always translated her words.

It was my sorting into Slytherin that became the last straw for my "humble" family. Hepzibah refused to have anything to do with me. I heard she gossiped about me, saying, "I always knew she was a bad egg."

She was my last lifeline with the Smiths; after she heard about the sorting I was permanently disowned. Professor Dumbledore tried to change her mind on my behalf, but she wouldn't have any of it. My mother, bless her soul, had a safe in Gringotts that would pay for the rest of my schooling, so it seemed that losing Aunt H as a benefactor was no big loss.

Once at Hogwarts, I thought that I would fit in right away.

I was wrong sadly.

There were still girls who came from good families and wanted to make sure you knew all about it. Although wizards and Muggles are very different, you can't deny the similarities.

The main group of these aristocrats was the Black family who currently had four attending Hogwarts. It was said that every single Black had been in the Slytherin house. There were two sets of cousins, with Orion in my own year. His older sister, Lucretia, graduated long before he and I attended Hogwarts. Left was his elder cousin, Walburga, to act as the head Black of Hogwarts. She was in her seventh year and not a woman to be crossed. Walburga was somewhat of a queen bee around school. She knew everyone and everyone's secrets as well. She was, of course, beautiful with luxurious chestnut hair and dark eyes. I didn't know her much beyond that since she wouldn't waste her time on third years.

Her two younger brothers, Alphard and Cyngus, were also attending Hogwarts. Alphard was a fifth year prefect, but relatively one of the nicest Blacks. Cyngus was a year above me and usually kept to himself, though he was a star player on the Slytherin Quidditch team. Both brothers were born with good features which set them apart from most of the other Slytherins. Cyngus had a darker features while Alphard had lighter eyes and hair.

Their youngest cousin, Orion, had inherited the boyish charms. However, his largest vice was that he had no knack for knowledge. The poor boy was constantly lost in class; however he was cute enough to attract any Hogwarts girl into helping him with his homework. But his lack of brains aside, he was usually very polite to me, but, like everyone else, tended to consort with a different crowd.

All of the students, even in my own year, consorted with everyone but me. Even the younger ones gave no second thought to Eva Smith walking down the hallways. If anything, I was usually being made fun of by the other three girls in my year: Meredith Flint, Druella Rosier, and Norma Selwyn.

Meredith was a busy-body of a girl if I had ever seen one. I had known cliques before in my boarding school experiences, but she never once gave me a chance. However, she was so rude and dreary, I probably wouldn't even want to be her friend. Although Flint was not an extremely prestigious name, she was certainly proud of herself. I wasn't quite sure of what, since her grades as well as her looks were average. She had thin brown hair and a hooked nose, though she played it off very well. I did have to commend her on her fashion tastes; whenever I would go to Hogsmead, I always saw her wearing the best robes.

Her best friend was Druella, another girl from a well-off family. Druella had an older brother in seventh year, Apollo, and a sister in sixth year, Carina. The whole family had these beautiful blue-green eyes that could captivate you. Druella seemed as if she was the quiet one of the clique. However, she would occasionally ask how my day was if we were alone, or nod in passing if no one was looking. If you ever heard her talk, it was talking mostly in monotone. She had dark blond wispy hair. Her face reminded me of a bird, but she wasn't unattractive.

The last girl was Norma. Selwyn was another ancient wizarding name in competition with the Blacks. She was not as mean to me as Meredith could be, only in that she wouldn't laugh too hard when she asked where my parents were. Her famous line was usually, "Why aren't you in 'humble Hufflepuff'?" I didn't think Norma was very pretty, but her dark brown curls could accent her round face enough to make her striking. Her eyes were deep and dark. She wasn't the brightest one out of the trio, but she was the loudest.

Although I had grown used to their comments and the way I was ignored, I was not downtrodden by their actions. I had too much pride in my own self I suppose. Thankfully, if they ever teased me, it was only because I was thrown into Slytherin and disinherited. At times I felt like the Hat was wrong, and I should have been in Hufflepuff. On occasion Meredith would ask if I tricked the Sorting Hat. I ignored her comment; I felt that it was better than them knowing I was born from a Muggle father.

The only thing that would keep my mind off of my loneliness was studying. At boarding school, I wasn't the top student, but I wasn't unintelligent. I just didn't see the point. I entered Hogwarts with the same attitude, but I later thought that if I earned good grades, maybe people would notice me. I hated being ignored and forgotten. However, I was not much of a loud and outspoken person, so it was my curse to remain in the corner alone.

I usually kept myself busy in the library reading books, while the other girls were socializing in their common room. When I had finished my homework and checked it twice, I would pleasure read. They were usually wizard novels or history books. One of my favorite series, an adventurous romance, was Veroni Stoll's The Witch and Her Charm.

If I was bored with novels, I would occasionally browse through academic books. I learned a lot from them; more than any third year knew, that is. I read a lot about potions and how to create your own. Sometimes in my room, while the others were out, I would make potions to change the colors of my clothes so that I would be as fashionable as Meredith. I also made one potion that made any item, when coated with the liquid, unbreakable. It made writing much easier since I was known for a hard press.

I was even able to use a controlling spell I had taught myself from advanced spells book. It wasn't exactly like the Imperius Curse, but it could do the same thing. It would wear off in about twenty-four hours, and the receiver has to be very weak minded. I only used it once on a Gryffindor. She didn't remember anything anyways, so I didn't care too much.

But going to the library to read books proved to be most effective in my overall scheme of things. For at the library, I was able to see Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was there almost as much as I, searching the library like a starving man in a kitchen.

I was never formally introduced to Tom, but I knew him fairly well. He was a fifth year and the smartest student in the entire school. He was the youngest ever recipient of the Magical Merit award, and probably the most talented man to ever walk the earth. Everyone was jealous of him, even the older students. I would sometimes become irritated when the professors would fawn over him. I tried to impress them as well, to do something that would leave my imprint on this school, but nothing compared to the remarkable Tom Riddle.

But Tom really did deserve all the glory. He was too perfect. Tom was handsome, smart, and incredibly witty. We exchanged maybe ten words at the most, but I was enamored by him. The way he talks, with his beautiful deep voice, made me go wild. I would have given everything I owned just to spend one full day with him.

Sometimes I would follow him to classes, just so I would be able to see him more. He fit in so well with the other Slytherin students: they all loved him. In my free time, I would go around the school to see if I could find him, and maybe we would start talking. To talk with Tom Riddle! That would be amazing. Of course, I don't believe he knew that I followed him. If he ever found out, he would probably think I'm some mental patient.

I snapped out of my day dream, which had caused me to look out hazily to the faint, white snow float into the black night. My album was opened to a picture I had taken of Tom around the first week of this school year with my Muggle camera. I don't think he noticed, since he was apparently looking away from me. His face was gorgeous. Although he was slightly thin and pale, he worked well with it. His pitch-black hair was thick, and I dreamed of the day that I might run my hands through it. He was tall as well, probably a foot taller than me. I couldn't stop looking at his face, but then I heard my stomach rumble. I knew I needed to go for Christmas feast.

I wanted Tom to be downstairs so I could enjoy his face in real life. He and I were alike in many ways. We both had nowhere to go for the holidays and no family. I stayed and Tom stayed.

He always stayed.

As I exited the empty Slytherin common room, I mulled over the strange happenings at Hogwarts. No one knew exactly what was it was, but something was attacking the students. Four people have been petrified and they all had one thing in common - they were Muggle-borns. One of them was a Ravenclaw girl that always tried to one-up me in potions. I wasn't a sad at all to hear the news.

The school staff told all students that we were not allowed to walk alone in the corridors, but I wasn't worried. None of us Slytherins were afraid because we all knew the creature was attacking Muggle-born mudbloods. As much as I hated the people in my pureblood family, I was smart enough to realize that it's better to be a pureblood than to be part Muggle.

Once I entered the Great Hall, I frowned inwardly. Tom Riddle was nowhere in sight. The rest of the students and staff who stayed sat at the Gryffindor table. Only I and seven other students were left over for the holidays. I guessed they no other home to go to either. It made me feel a little better knowing that I wasn't the only one alone this Christmas.

I joined them but sat as far away as deemed polite. I had grown so used to being alone, I almost preferred it. A few of the fifth year girls were gossiping about Rubeus Hagrid. He was a half giant who was a Gryffindor in my year. He was always a bit odd; loving magical creatures far beyond normal, but he wouldn't hurt a fly. I saw him sitting on the opposite end I was, next to Professor Dumbledore. I liked Dumbledore, at least more than the other Slytherins. He was the only teacher who would take notice in my transfiguration and even congratulate me on my outstanding skills in potions, which he didn't even teach.

I waited the entire dinner, but Tom never came to the Great Hall. After I became full with too much Christmas ham, I played with the rest of my bread pudding, cutting it into little pieces with my fork. I balanced my head on my free hand and half stared at the other students. Other people were still eating. I waited probably ten more minutes to see if Tom would ever make an appearance, but it had become in vain. I realized there was no point in me sitting here listening to the other students talk. I stop playing with my food and set my fork down. My plate disappeared, and I stood up. As I walked towards the door, I heard an older voice come from the table.

"Miss Smith? I do suppose you are leaving for the dormitories?"

I turned around and smiled courteously to Professor Dumbledore.

"Yes sir. I'm feeling a bit tired at the moment."

"That is understandable. But I'm afraid that I can't let you wander the castle alone."

I wanted to remind him that I walked alone to get to the Hall. Also, I wasn't "wandering" the castle: I was going back to my room. But I didn't say anything. That was the way it usually went in my brain. I would say what I wanted to in my head but kept my mouth at peace as not to make a scene and stay in the good company of others.

"Don't worry professor. I'll take her back." The speaker had a deep voice that was too familiar, and he put a light hand on my shoulder.

Dumbledore didn't relax at the young man's answer. His eyes went stony and simply replied, "Alright Tom."

I had no idea how Tom made his way into the Hall without my notice or why he wanted to leave with me as soon as he arrived, but I disregarded the inconsistency. As Tom Riddle and I exited the Great Hall, I could barely contain my excitement. My breath got caught in my throat every so often, but other than that, I tried to act very normally. I felt snakes wriggling around in my stomach, and at times I wasn't sure if I was happy or nauseous. We had been walking for five or more minutes, and I knew that we were almost at the common room. This was the first time that I was ever alone with Tom, and I was cursing myself for not taking advantage. What would he think? A quiet, ignored third year girl trying to talk to the brightest fifth year in the history of the school? I didn't want to give a bad first impression, but I knew that my silence already had. Should I start talking now, in hopes of a good conversation, or should I just keep quiet? If I talk, I might say something dumb, but if I don't talk, he'll never remember me.

I froze, panicking in my mind. Talk or not to talk?

Tom kept on walking. A couple paces down he noticed that I was no longer next to him. He stopped and turned around to look at me. With one eyebrow raised he asked, "Are you coming?"

All I could do was fidget. My mind was going blank. Half of me screamed, "Say something!" while the other half yelled, "Keep quiet!" None of me said to keep walking.

"Do want to go to the common room or not, Smith?"

My heart skipped a beat. He knew who I was. He called me by name. I could feel my face turn into a little smile, but then it stopped.

Not because I realized how foolish I probably looked, but because of something a bit more terrifying. My breath felt permanently caught in my throat as something had caught my eye; something that was lurking in the shadows behind Tom. My eyes widened as I realized there truly was a monster haunting the halls of Hogwarts, and it was very large and slithering behind Tom Riddle.

"The-the creature. It's behind you…"

Tom didn't move or act afraid. He simply turned his head slowly, like he was going to turn around, but kept his eyes glued on me. Then I heard him hissing. It felt stupid and strange at the same time. Yet I trusted Tom would protect us. Despite not understanding his strange hissings, I felt a little better as I saw the creature sulk away opposite of us.

Tom motioned to me to come with his fingers. I gained the strength in my legs again and walked next to him for a couple paces until I couldn't contain myself any longer. "I don't know if you saved me, but I'm grateful." I looked up at his handsome face, which was staring straight ahead. "I knew you would protect me. I didn't believe it was my time to die."

He glanced down and raised an eyebrow. "You're welcome." He looked away but continued talking, "It wouldn't have attacked you anyways. Its job is to eliminate the mudbloods."

"Oh…Why is it doing that?"

"Why else? It's getting rid of unwanted magical taint. Hogwarts has no need to teach those who have the improper capacity for magic. Anyways, you shouldn't fear it. You are Eva Smith, are you not?" Although it was a question, he gave me no time to answer it, "The Smiths are pureblood, so the beast won't harm you."

"So it's true…Muggle-borns can't do magic…like we can?"

"Some say they can, but at the least it is a dilution of real sorcery."

"Oh. What about half-bloods?"

And then I noticed Tom freeze. Of course, it was barely visible; except to me. I observe everything since I have nothing better to do. After the words came out, I recalled some rumors that he was also a half-blood. Riddle was no pureblood name. Because he was so bright, handsome, and wonderful, no one dared to categorize him as less of a wizard. I looked around and saw that we reached the common room entrance. Tom said the password, Salazar, and we went inside.

I looked back up at his ridiculously handsome face, and I felt a little faint again. I could feel my heart beating in my ribs and in my ears. I forgot all about my unanswered question. All I know is that Tom and I were in the Slytherin common room… alone.

I suddenly had a day dream about Tom bending down his head closer to my face, grabbing my hand and proclaiming his love for me. I swoon, and he catches me. Our faces inch close together as he brings my head up to his. His lips look so inviting-

"You're a third year."

I blink, banishing the vision away. I shut my mouth, realizing that I had it parted slightly, thinking of 'daydream-Tom.' The real Tom was just staring at me, sizing me up. I felt like he never really noticed me until now. I nodded, answering his question.

"Don't you have family to go home to?"

I fidgeted, "Well…Aunt H is busy. It would be easier on her if I stayed here."

He frowned slightly and his lips curled. "While there's a monster on the loose?" he asked me in his smooth deep voice.

"You said it only attacks mudbloods, so I'm safe."

Tom smiled a little, looking me in the eyes. His piercing grey eyes made my heart skip a beat, especially when they would stare straight into my boring blue ones. I couldn't help but think what I would do for him, go to the edge of the world and back only to see his beautiful face every day. His small smile gave me guts. Instead of thinking of what I wanted to say, I took a leap and said it out loud. "What do you want from me, Tom Riddle?" I asked it in a polite tone, like my only pleasure would be to fulfill his wish.

He didn't answer, and he didn't look like he was going to. Tom simply looked at my face. I couldn't get enough of his. Finally, he said something. "It's late. You should be in bed."

I sighed and nodded, never letting my eyes leave his mesmerizing stare. In a flash, Tom quickly turned around and went to the opposite end of the room where the boys' dormitories were.

I slowly proceeded down the stairs with a huge grin on my face like I drunk too much butterbeer. I was tempted to call out, "Happy Christmas," but I decided I talked enough that evening. I was still overcome by the fact that I had a conversation with Tom Riddle.

I walked into my deserted room and leaped onto my bed, full of energy despite the lateness of the evening. I frantically searched through my album until I reached an empty page. I stretched to the nightstand and pulled out a drawer. I rummaged through some letters and old homework until I found unused parchment and a quill. This had definitely been one of my best Christmases. With quill in hand, I wrote down what happened and a stick drawing of me and Tom in the common room so I could relive the whole scene whenever I wanted.

I stuck the page in the album with a quick melding spell, but it was missing something. I took a deep breath and I realized what it was. I grabbed my quill again and wrote down in big bold letters what just happened to me in a nutshell:

I, EVA SMITH, AM IN LOVE WITH TOM RIDDLE

 


	2. September 1, 1943

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of Eva's fourth year.

**Hogwarts  
(1942-1947)**

September 1, 1943

As I walked through the brick wall that separated Platform 9 and 10, I took a deep breath of air. It was smoky and not at all pleasant. I coughed a bit and reprimanded myself for acting so foolish. Watching all those Muggle movies at the boarding school this summer left me wanting life to be a little bit more like that place in America called Hollywood. I watched them constantly, though mostly not by choice. The teachers and the Headmistress recommended that all the girls watch the film clips to keep us informed of the Muggle war. But after the pictures of war came the stories of glamour. I was always enamored with the tall, beautiful actresses that lived such romantic and fun lives. Carole Lombard was my favorite; it sounded foolish caring for a Muggle, but I was sad when she died a year ago in her airplane crash.

The whistle of the train interrupted me from my thoughts of a dazzling Hollywood life. At once, I heard the people and their families talking and making noise. I had to get used to my magical life. Dumbledore made arrangements for me, yet again, to stay at the boarding school during the summers. I was always curious to why he devoted his time in taking care of me; it was not as if it was his duty. But I did find it comforting to know that at least one person was concerned with my well-being. The Headmistress, after being told some lie by Dumbledore, was happy to have me back at Withers School for Young Women. I was neither excited nor afraid of being there. After my first year at Hogwarts, the Muggle girls had sensed a change from me. Thankfully, they had left me alone for the greater part of the summer. The past summer had been pleasant and quiet. I was even able to open up myself and make relationships with a few of the girls who had never spoken to me before. We mostly discussed movies and books, but I was happy to have someone to talk to.

Being here, at Platform 9 ¾, was quite different from the reverent silence we upheld at my boarding school. Everyone seemed to be shouting, yelling, playing, fighting, and other things that had, for the most part, been banned at Withers. I enjoyed it immensely, feeling like I was a part of something. I straightened my brown pleated skirt in excitement, ready to join my people once again.

Pulling my trunk towards the Hogwarts Express, I saw that many of my classmates had gotten owls this year. It must have been a fourth year tradition that I knew nothing of. However, even if I was privy to it, I wouldn't have gotten myself an owl, much less any animal. I knew that Tom hated all animals, except for snakes, that is. I found this out by overhearing one of his conversations to Romule Lestrange. The last thing I would want is to do something that offended Tom.

The hustle and bustle was all around as parents waved goodbye to their children for another year. Half of me felt sad that I didn't have a parent to wave me off. The thought was fleeting and dissolved once I felt an arm link through mine.

I turned to see who it was. A round face framed by dark curly hair was smirking and eyeing me. It was Norma Selwyn.

"How  _are_  you Eva?" Norma purred.

I wasn't too shocked by her sudden attachment to me, though it was out of the ordinary. I casually answered back, "I'm fine, thank you. Yourself? Did you have a good holiday?"

She hugged my arm tighter and slowly pulled me towards the train. She seemed to have no baggage with her, so I was caught between her long strides and my heavy trunk. "Oh I'm very pleasant. But my holiday was mostly a bore. My parents went on some vacation to the East, and they left me at home. The mansion was very quiet without them. All I had was my house-elf Yarby to keep me company. Even so, the company of a house-elf barely measures to third of that of a wizard."

I nodded my head in understanding, though I really couldn't. I knew what a house-elf was, but they seemed somewhat intelligent. Though, I suppose that Norma knows more about the topic than I did.

She suddenly came to a hault, to my delight. I was able to properly drag my trunk to the door of the train, ready to haul it on. She gave me a mysterious look and then smiled. "How was your holiday Eva?"

"Oh…quite boring too." I was happy to be talking with her so casually. It was unexpected, but I supposed she had some underlying plan. I needed to keep things as friendly as possible between us before I knew what she was really up to.

"You live with Muggles don't you?" Norma said the world "Muggles" as if it was some horrid cuss word that was not allowed to be spoken. Perfect, I thought. I knew the rumor had been spreading around, but I wasn't sure by who. I was unsure how to answer, since I was afraid she might make the connection that I really was a half-blood.

But I supposed the truth was the simplest way out. "Yes, I do," I admitted

"Well Merlin, bless your soul. I couldn't stand a minute with those things. I don't know how you do it."

I stayed silent. At least she hadn't accused me of being part Muggle.

"Anyways, I heard they expelled that great oaf, Hagrid. Serves him right, collecting all those monsters and all. Got his wand broken and everything! But, I heard, Dumbledore convinced Dippet to keep him as groundskeeper. I don't think it was him though, that killed that Myrtle girl that is."

I had heard last year that Hagird was expelled. No one was told why, but we all guessed it was about attacks. They ended with his expulsion. Yet, I had to agree with Norma though; poor Hagrid wouldn't want to kill anyone.

"I tell you what though," she said, dropping her voice to a whisper as they climbed onto the train, "I think it was good deed, whoever sent that creature out to kill those mudbloods. They're the last thing we need in the school. Standards are getting  _so_  low at Hogwarts anyways. Mother and Father complain all the time. They always say they'll take me out one of these days. The only reason I'm still here is because my uncle sends his boys here too."

"His boys" were Dorado and Indus Selwyn, Norma's cousins. Dorado was a seventh year and Indus was a sixth year. Both of them had very feminine faces, but the two could make such horrible grimaces that they seemed to be madmen. The two brothers were so close they might as well have been twins. The main difference between the two was that Dorado had dark hair with a short and built body while Indus had light blond hair with tall and gangly body. They were known around the school for being the professors' worst nightmare. The two disrupted every class and destroyed everything that came into their path. It was a wonder that they hadn't been expelled.

We had managed to get onto the train as Norma continued talking. Surprisingly, she hadn't ditched me yet for Meredith or Druella. I still kept my guard up, preparing to be left alone as always. Norma still ranted about her mother and father's problems with Hogwarts while we looked for an empty compartment. I didn't quite agree or disagree with Norma. I wasn't raised in the normal wizarding community like I should have been, so she might have known more about the situation than I. One thing that I didn't understand about Purebloods' thinking is how Muggle-borns are different from other witches and wizards. Many Slytherins tried to tell me, but none of their reasons made sense. As far as I knew, I had the best grades in my year. It probably would have driven them mad to find out that a half-blood was better at magic than all the purebloods.

We passed a compartment with Druella Rosier and Meredith Flint. I thought that we would go in, since Norma was always friends with them, but she grabbed my hand and continued walking without even glancing their way.

Before I could ask what was wrong, she confessed to me.

"I'm not sitting with those two because my idiotic cousins played an awful trick on them. The whole summer Dorado and Indus wrote Meredith, Druella, Walburga, and Carina love notes." Carina was Druella's older sister in Dorado's year. "None of them knew that they were being played. I thought it was quite funny, but Carina took it to heart. She's had a crush on Dorado ever since first year. Walburga found it distasteful to say the least, and now the Blacks, Rosiers, and Flints have a grudge against all Selwyns. I didn't even do anything!"

She finally calmed down after her pent-up rage. I stood quiet while trying to make a face of sympathy. I did think it was pretty harsh to blame someone else for a relative's mistakes, but I learned long ago that those were the ways of women. Norma took a deep breath then looked at me in the eye.

"So they won't talk to me at all. That's why I'm with you." Norma smiled at me, thinking that I would be delighted to find out that I was her backup friend.

I smiled back, unsure if I should say anything. Norma continues nevertheless.

"It is so unfair them to punish me!  _I_  have the better blood. Selwyn is one of the oldest wizarding names in Hogwarts history. It's much older than Rosier; that's for certain."

Norma continued complaining even after we passed more compartments. We did see one filled with third year Slytherins, but it was pretty full. As we continued searching the hallway, Norma paused with her complains. She looked at me and smiled; it was probably the most genuine I had seen from her all day. "Eva… I should talk to you more. You are much easier to get along with than you appear."

I was a bit unprepared for that, however I did take it positively. "Well… thank you Norma." I wasn't sure if I should compliment her as well. I kept silent as she turned around to continue her hunt. I was suddenly hit with the realization that maybe no one talked to me because I didn't look like I wanted to talk. I promised myself that this year would be different. I was done with being stuck alone. Having girls to talk to this summer made me realize how much I missed out at Hogwarts. Yes, this year I was going to be confident and make friends.

We arrived upon a compartment full of Slytherin boys: Orion Black, Augustus Rookwood, Pavo Yaxley, and Zilya Dolohov. They were not the nicest boys in the fourth and fifth year, but they were going to be the best we could find. Also, since Norma and I were Slytherin, they treated us a bit better than the rest of the students. Norma, with all of her confidence, waltzed right in without being invited and sat herself next to Augustus.

I stood in the door frame, wondering where I should sit. "Well," Norma stared at me blankly, "Come on. They won't bite…hard." Then she laughed. If there was one good thing about Norma Selwyn, it was that her laugh was quite contagious.

I smiled half-heartedly and hesitantly entered. I dragged my trunk over the corridor divider and accidently hit Yaxley's foot. He barked at me, and I felt embarrassed. A stood in the middle of the cabin and waved my wand at the trunk. After saying a flotation charm, I let it gently slide into a space in the overhead storages. I still didn't understand how Norma had no luggage, but perhaps she had her cousins looking after it. Orion, always the gentleman, stood up from next to the window and gave me his seat. I sat down while thanking him, and he squeezed between Norma and Augustus who was sat across. Pavo Yaxley and Zilya Dolohov were next to me, ignoring me somewhat.

Pavo was a snobbish fifth year with large eyes and a large nose. He looked like a house-elf with tight dark curly hair. He was somewhat intelligent, but his pride and temper usually overshadowed his accomplishments. His had an older sister who graduated last year. She too had the looks of a house-elf. I felt bad for the entire family.

Zilya was the largest boy in fifth year with thick eyebrows that almost make a unibrow. He had short cropped hair with long sideburns. His chin was very square and usually has a face as if he smelled something bad. However, he had gotten definitely better looking since last year. His hair used to be at his shoulders and was very ill-kept.

I tried to keep a distance from them. I sighed internally at myself. So far, my goal of making new friends was not headed in the right track. I watched Norma and Orion talk across from me. I could tell that Norma was attracted to him. I couldn't blame her though; Orion was probably the second best looking boy in Hogwarts. Tom had to be the first.

As I looked out the window at the forest landscape passing by, I thought of the strained relationship between the Blacks and the Selwyns. Seeing how Orion and Norma flirted nonstop, I guessed that it was only an oath that the Black  _women_  took upon the Selwyns. Yet, I wasn't entirely sure how much power Walburga had over the rest of her clan.

Pavo and Zilya were bickering about what a waste of a summer they had. Pavo had wanted to go to the mainland while his parents thought it best to stay at home. Zilya discussed he had the same problem as well. Supposedly their parents were concerned about the menace of Grindlewald. Norma and Orion were having their own conversation. Norma continued to laugh at every joke Orion made, but the poor boy never realized her exaggeration.

I was continuing to watch the scenery flash by when Rookwood tried to talk to me. He had dark blond hair and always had a lazy look to his eyes. With his good face structure, you could tell he was a very handsome child. However, no one cared too much since his face was terribly pockmarked and unkept. I had to admit that it even turned  _me_  off.

"You're Eva Smith?" he questioned.

I took my eyes off the window to look him in the eye. "Yes," I responded, then slowly turned my gaze back to the forest.

"Did you just transfer last year?"

I felt insulted, but I didn't want to let him know. He didn't seem to have much skill for conversation, though I was in no place to chastise. "No, I've been in your house for four years."

"Oh…I never knew. You don't talk much do you?"

"No," I said, somewhat bitterly. Well my plan for making friends was going a long very smoothly.

Rookwood crossed his arms and flung himself back into the seat. He looked like he was fighting a losing battle. I lied my head against the walls of the train and continued staring out the window. I could hear Norma and Orion giggling about something, but it was the boys' conversation that got my interest. Pavo and Zilya had went on about what Grindlewald was doing, but then it switched to Tom Riddle.

Rookwood lowered his voice, "Speaking of the Dark Arts, I heard that Riddle was having secret meetings now."

"Oh, is there a club for his lordship?" Dolohov asked sarcastically.

Yaxley piped in, "Look, just because he cursed you last year in the hallway doesn't mean you have to continue to hate him. He's a million times more brilliant than you'd ever be."

"You don't even know the pain I go through! I still have problems when I…well I still have problems!"

Augustus rolled his eyes, "That is disgusting. Anyways, I heard that Riddle's only inviting certain people he deems 'worthy' of his time. I bet he could teach us a few tricks. We should try to get on his good side and quickly."

The other two agreed, though Pavo seemed more excited than his counterpart. He exclaimed, "I even heard that Tom's got-"

"Tom?" Norma interrupted, "Which Tom."

The three boys glared at her. Yaxley responded agitatedly, "Tom Riddle."

"Oh,  _that_  Tom!" Norma reached over to me and placed a hand on my knee. "He is  _such_  a catch, isn't he Eva? And  _so_  charming too! My, he could get me to do anything with those dark eyes. And that deep voice just sends goose-bumps all over! Not that I would need convincing to do something with  _him_!"

Rookwood looked as if he would have thrown up. "Now, that is disgusting."

Dolohov finished with, "Riddle wouldn't want anything from  _you_  Selwyn. He could get prettier whores on the streets."

Norma clammed up and sat back in her seat. I thought Zilya was a little harsh, but Norma did put herself out there. Orion patted her comfortingly but looked as if the conversation was way over his head.

I sighed and was depressed. Though he was probably said it to hurt Norma, Zilya was right. Tom could get any pick of the girls. As Norma had stated, Tom  _was_  quite the catch. As far as I knew, Tom had never even gone on a date or ever liked a girl. They said he was too in love with magic for any woman. But still, if there was someone out there for him, I felt like I had a chance.

Since last Christmas, when we first talked, I hadn't the pleasure of having a full conversation with Tom Marvolo Riddle. Occasionally, in the library, I saw him reading. Most of the time, I would work up the courage to ask him if I could sit with him. His quick reply was almost always, "No."

It didn't faze me in the slightest, which surprised me. I simply remembered that the same problem happened in my romance novels. Whenever obstacles arose, the hero or heroine simply kept trying. And so did I. It was because the characters knew they were meant to be, whether the recipient knew or not. Tom and I could be something, I felt it in my heart.

He was the perfect man for me: smart, calm, witty, charming yet extremely blunt at times, and most importantly good looking!

It wasn't until last May did I ever get a real answer from him.

"Can I sit here?" I begged for the third time that week.

His cold reply came as always, "No."

"Please?"

Tom looked up from his book with a sour face. "Dear Merlin! If you want to sit here so badly, far be it from me to stop you!" I had gotten to the breaking point. He slid his books away from the chair next to him, then leaned on his elbow as to avoid the sight of me.

I smiled triumphant and sat pleasantly next to him. "Thank you." He didn't turn to look at me, but simply grunted in response. I took it as a "you're welcome." I could tell there were underlying meanings.

From that day forward, I was allowed to sit by him every day until summer holiday. I never really asked to sit, I just simply did. After a while, he eventually started reading his books normally by sitting up straight instead of trying to block me out.

Sometimes, when I was done with my homework or I didn't bring a book to read, I would ask him what he was reading: "So…what's that you've got there?"

Tom didn't even move his eyes from the page. All I heard was a small snort. I took it as, "None of your business."

Occasionally, he wouldn't mind showing me: "What are you reading today, Tom?"

The handsome fifth year slammed the book shut and slid it in front of me. He had to run his fingers through his hair to fix it. The green leathered book had foreign lettering in a gold script. Near the bottom was the English title,  _Child of Circe: Magic in Ancient Greece_. It wasn't my type of thing, but it was his, so I acted interested.

After hearing the boys' conversation about Tom, I felt giddy. I don't know if I was crazy, but I always felt happy whenever someone would talk about him. Whenever they described Tom, I felt like it was a different person than who I knew. They talked about him like he was a god. Tom Riddle was two people in my mind: the boy who had it all, yet nothing. He was surrounded by people and always at the top of his class, but also friendless and lived in the library. Most of my classmates knew him as the former person, but I always knew him as the latter.

I liked to think that Tom let me in on his lonelier, darker side. That either meant that Tom didn't like me enough to be treated like his supposed "friends," or that I held enough respect in his mind to be treated normally and not preyed upon. I like to think I'm not preyed upon, though I really couldn't be sure where I fit.

With all this thinking about Tom, I desperately wanted to see him. And with just my luck, I happened to see some of the Prefects walk by. Carina Rosier, a Slytherin, I recognized. That would mean Tom too was out of the Prefect meeting. Now was my chance to find him. What exactly I would say or talk to him about was unknown, but I felt gravitated towards him. Also, the tension in the compartment was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. By now Rookwood was cross-armed, frowning towards the window; Norma wasn't even talking to Orion and looked as if she expected pity upon herself; the other two boys were rolling their eyes and continued to insult the remaining Hogwarts students. I excused myself from the compartment and ventured out in the corridor to find Tom.

I looked up and down the corridor as I slide the glass door closed behind me. It was empty as always. Tom could be in the next coach, I surmised. I slowly walked down the rocking train towards the next boxcar. As I stepped over the platform, I found Tom Riddle standing in the doorway of one of the closer compartments. I closed the door as slowly and as quietly as possible. I let my body lean against it as I watched him talking. He looked very elegant, moving with the train as it jolted down the tracks. His black hair was fixed perfectly and it seemed that he had grown a few inches over the summer. He was already dressed in his school robes, while I was still in Muggle garment. His deep-set eyes scanned the faces in front of him, of which I was oblivious. If it was at all possible, I would have said he had grown more handsome over summer as well.

After he finished his conversation, but before he left, I clearly overheard him telling the students in the compartment, "Lestrange, Avery, Macnair: we'll meet tomorrow night."

With that, he shut the door and then turned the opposite direction of where I was leaning against the cabin walls. I stood up straight and slowly followed after him. I figured, if he noticed me, I would claim that I was on my way to find the treat cart. It was innocent enough, and then maybe we could have a conversation. Tom took a couple of paces then stopped in his tracks. My eyes widened a bit for fear he had noticed me already. He turned around, a bored look playing on his face. His eyes bore into mine, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Smith. I see you came to find me."

I was drawing a blank. I had been really quiet so I was stunned that he found me so quickly. I opened my mouth to say something, but he spoke first. "I heard you enter the coach five minutes ago. You aren't as sly as you assume."

I felt a little downtrodden, but then quickly regained my composure. Looking on the bright side, I could turn this little talk into a full blown conversation. I shouldn't waste my opportunity, I thought. I should probably be as honest as possible to start off. "Yes…well, I wanted to come and find you. I didn't see you out on the platform, and I wanted to tell you that I missed you this summer."

He frowned and crossed his arms. The young man looked slightly perturbed. "Yes, well I didn't miss your incessant need to follow me around."

I couldn't hold in my grin. He may have not missed me following him, but he certainly didn't say he didn't miss me _._  I saw him roll his eyes and sigh.

I decided to continue with my conversation. "I'm just doing what a normal person would do: check up on their… friend." I could call him friend, couldn't I? There was really no one else I was close to. I thought about it hard. Actually, I had to admit that Tom was the closest I was with anyone at the moment. I didn't have time to feel too much sorrow for myself as Tom answered me.

"I have no friends." His arms dropped to his sides, and he had a bored look to his face. He leaned against one of the walls and took out his wand to twirl through his fingers absentmindedly.

"Oh." I said, partly defeated. It was true in a way. He didn't seem to have any real companions in Hogwarts. I narrowed the gap between us to about five feet. I waved my hand towards the compartment he had just finished talking to, "…then what do you call those people?"

"Members of my house," he said slowly, looking me in the eye. I could see slight amusement on his face. I was glad that this conversation was turning out so well.

"Then, as a member of your house, I just popped by to see how you are."

Tom gave a slight snort; I heard him mumbled under his breath "popped?" He regained more of his composure and then announced, "I am fine, thank you." Tom ended there. He looked as if he was done talking with me. As he stood up properly, pocketed his wand, and almost turned to leave, I acted as if he asked me how I was doing. I said, "I am fine as well, in case you were wondering." I didn't want him to go, not just yet.

He paused and his face gave me a stare, as if to tell me, "No, I was not wondering." He sighed and asked me, "Are we through?"

I was disappointed, and it probably showed on my face. I was never very good at hiding my emotions, but Tom seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to reading people. But I wasn't through with him just yet. I wanted to see if I could somehow walk with him as he continued his prefect duties or if I could sit with him in his compartment.

He crossed his arms and stepped towards me. He wanted to make sure he would look down at me. "No, Smith."

I frowned, "You don't even know what I was going to ask you."

"You were going to ask if I minded you following me around while I did my prefect duties." I was shocked. How  _did_  he know? Tom expected my shock and gazed around the corridor mildly interested in the ceiling. I could see a wicked smile crawl on his face.

I frown harder, but my mouth curled slightly in amazement. He was brilliant and he seemed to read minds. What more could a girl ask for? "How did you know that?"

"I know a lot of things about you, Eva Smith." And then he looked at me dead on. I felt like he was looking into my soul. Then I realized: Tom Riddle could  _literally_  read minds. My heart raced.

"Could you…could you teach me? How to read minds, that is?"

Tom came closer to me, pocketing his hands. I could almost smell him by now. It was like a mix of freshly washed clothes and new tree bark. I could hear my heart pounding in my head. Just the thought of his body so close to mine made me weak to the knees. His voice was airy, and he acted like he wasn't too interested in what he was saying. "I  _could_  teach you how to block your mind. But I wouldn't want to do that because then I'd never know what you're thinking."

I felt my stomach go up to my throat. That wasn't something I expected him to say. "Why should you care what I think?"

But Tom never replied. He just stared at me like he did in the common room. His grey eyes were searching over my face. I kept focusing on my breath. Others might have found it very disturbing, but I never minded the chance to gaze into his steely grey eyes.

After what seemed a minute, he responded with, "Meet me tonight in the common room, at midnight, if you really want to learn something."

I was so overjoyed by the invitation that I teased him without realizing what I was doing, "Oh…not tomorrow night?"

Tom nodded politely and smiled. "Good afternoon, Smith."

And with that, the famous Mr. Riddle turned around and stepped into the next train coach. I stood there, hardly being able to wait to put this into my album when the feast was over.


	3. September 2, 1943

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eva learns something.

Hogwarts  
(1942-1947)

September 2, 1943

It was fifteen minutes past twelve, and Tom Riddle still wasn't down yet. I sat on the green sofa in the common room. My head was resting in my hands as I stared at the dying fire. It was dying like my patience was. What if this was all just a prank?

Then I became upset, with him and with myself for believing him. Then another voice popped into my head telling me that he might just be running late.

Running late? That would be just as bad as if he didn't show. If there was one thing in the world that I became temperamental about, it was tardiness.

Once, when I was younger, my mother had gone to the store and told me to expect her back in around an hour. I had waited the full hour, even compensated a good half hour, for her sake, but she didn't show up. I went livid. I felt as if she had abandoned me and that she was never going to come back. The whole house was in array: pots and pans flying around, vases breaking, bed shaking, and doors flying open and slamming shut. I could hear my Muggle neighbors shouting, afraid there was an earthquake. When my mother finally came home (which was a about fifteen minutes later) I was in big trouble. I got my ears boxed, my bare bottom whipped: the works. I did feel bad afterwards, but I was still upset that she had lied to me, or so I thought. She died later, not even two months after.

I looked back to the clock in the Slytherin common room. Two more minutes had gone by. For the first time in my life, I detested Tom Riddle.

I focused my attention onto the flames in front of me. Fire was so beautiful to me, but you had to respect it. If you come to close, it could burn you. And yet, it had such an attractive quality. When I was younger, I was afraid of it, of being burned. After using fire for most of potions class, I had become used to getting feeling the pain of the heat.

I looked around the room, and Tom was nowhere. I was ready to leave.

As I walked towards the stairs that led downwards towards my dormitories, I felt a little humiliated. Maybe Tom did trick me. But why would he want to do that? I never did anything bad to him. He should know I wouldn't want to do anything bad to him; he can read minds! Or perhaps he didn't want to teach me anything and just said to meet him because he wanted me to stop bothering him. I sighed. Even though Tom did trick me, I wouldn't give up. I know I could be with him if I just kept trying. From now on, though, I knew to be wary of any "midnight offers" from him in the future.

I had reached the archway of the staircase when I heard footsteps from the other end of the common room. They were coming from the boy's dormitories. I turned around, hoping and wishing it was Tom. I leaned on the wall and waited for him to show is face.

A tall figure climbed out and walked into the light of the greenish lamps hanging on the ceiling. His hair was black, his face well structured, and he held a slightly bored look about him. His hand trailed on the wall, and his feet stopped midway down the stairs. It was Tom. My breath caught in my throat. I was so enthralled by him that every time I saw him it felt like the first time.

I donned a small sly smile and crossed my arms. Suddenly, I had forgotten my anger with just the sight of him. I told him, "I thought you weren't going to show."

He walked out of the shadows and sat down on the sofa in front of the fireplace. "I had…other matters to attend to."

I kept grinning and scoffed. Of course he would be too busy for me. I walked towards the fireplace and looked down at Tom. I was excited just to be alone with him. Who knows where this night could lead?

"So, are we going to get started?"

His eyes glanced towards me and replied, "Started? What do you have in mind?" His eyes were dark but his mouth curled into a smirk. He seemed to be making fun of me. He must know how much I would love to jump on him and get something started.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Despite my urges, I wasn't going to play into his mind games. I didn't want to look like a fool in front of him; though I was head over heels with him, my reading experience has taught me that men like a chase. "I want to learn how to read minds."

Tom looked back at me again, with no smile, and stood up. He positioned himself next to me in front of the fireplace. He was half a foot taller than me, so I didn't have to crane my neck too much to gaze at him. Tom's face was beautiful, with dark eyes that could look as blank as a piece of parchment, yet I knew that many strong emotions were hidden. It was like he was surveying every inch of my face, and it made me uncomfortable. "I can't teach you that."

Suddenly, I really was angry with him. He made me stay up all night, and now he wasn't even going to teach me what he said? For once, I couldn't hold my tongue. "And why not? What about this afternoon? You said you would!"

His face became strict, as if trying to explain to a child why they can't Apparate. "Because you have to be born with it. You can't just learn to become a Legilimens. And anyhow, I never told you I would teach you to read minds. You somehow came up with that on your own."

I glared menacingly at him. I don't remember if he promised to teach me to read minds, but that wasn't the point now. How could he tell me that it was impossible? Why did we even have this meeting in the first place then? I was pretty sure he was bluffing; it was possible to learn to read minds. Then, thinking about it more, I realized that I couldn't just take his word. In the train this morning, he could have just been using his keen observational skills. Now, I needed him to prove to me that he could read my mind.

He backed away from me a little and grinned. I kept my back at the fireplace, allowing my legs to stay warm since the dungeons were always cold. Tom sat down and lounged on the couch. He stared at me, like I was some sort of entertainment. I didn't feel very entertaining. In fact, I was feeling quite fed up with him, to my surprise. This night wasn't going at all as I had planned. Half of me wanted to just walk away from him and go to bed, but then the other half knew that if I did that, I certainly would never have a chance with him again. I needed to prove my worthiness to him.

"How do I even know if you really are a Legilimens? If you can read minds, what am I thinking of?"

His face was blank again. He stared at me like normal, with no special tricks or faces. He said simply, "You have your mother's features, but you don't look like her."

I took a deep breath. He saw exactly what I had imagined.

I recalled the memory of when my mother and I used to bake cakes. Every week was a new cake. Rebecca was one of the best cooks around, or at least that's what I thought. Most of my album memories are of Mother cooking or some of her recipes. My favorite cakes were always the chocolate ones, but Mother liked the lemon kind. At times when I was loneliest, I missed her cakes the most.

So Tom had proved himself once again. It was not spoof, nor a trick. He had the power, and that impressed me immensely.

"You said you could teach me how to block you."

"I can. But I haven't thought it out if I want to or not."

It was quiet for a long time after that. I wanted to scream at him and beat on his chest. He just bent a leg onto the couch and let the other dangle, while he fiddled his wand through his fingers. Why was he acting so unfairly? Was I some sort of toy he could play with? I didn't want to be used by Tom Riddle. I wanted to be loved by him.

I watched him smile, wicked yet sensual. He looked from his wand to me. I felt a little weak to the knees, and my anger went away. How could a man change my feelings so quickly? I didn't like people controlling me, but since it was Tom, I didn't mind too much. "I know your every thought…Eva."

He sat up straight and got off the couch. He walked slowly towards me, pocketing his wand in his back pocket. His whole presence was so overbearing that I had to lean my weight on my leg further from him. He inched himself closer than I expected him too. Then, to my extreme surprise, Tom put his hand on my cheek and glided his long fingers around my face. All of the hairs on my body stood on end. Although I wanted to be engulfed in the sensation of his touch, my face merely twitched. I felt in shock. I didn't even think I could treasure the moment, since I didn't feel as if the moment was happening.

He continued to talk while his fingers grazed my face, "I know about your birth; about your Muggle father. I know that you are the disowned heir to Hufflepuff because you are a Slytherin. I even know about your obsession…over me."

I pursed my lips and pulled my eyes away from him. I never thought of it as an obsession. I was in love with him. Then again, how could you be in love with someone you barely knew? But I knew him…or at least I thought I did.

Tom took his hand off my face. I looked back up to him. He had a devious smirk, and his eyes were wild. I couldn't understand how something that was so terrifying could attract me so much.

I had to stand up for myself, so I told him, "I think obsessions are good to have. If you're obsessed with something, you're life is not wasted. You dedicate everything to it, and you become part of it. Ideas last forever. People don't live forever-"

"Not all people live forever."

"Oh, and some can?"

"Yes."

"Well, for those of us who can't…I believe that memories last. So, if you are one of those blessed people that live until eternity and you remember me, I can live forever. Even if you may not feel the same way I do, I know you have something for me. You wouldn't waste your time coming to meet me if not."

He paused and looked at me for a long time. Then I noticed that something in my brain felt funny, like I was trying to remember something I had forgot long ago. Then I realized that this was Tom invading my mind, looking through my memories. It seemed that his talents went beyond just reading what was on my mind. In fact, he could invade a brain and search it like a library.

I had been very bold this whole evening. This summer I found a new confidence; and it convinced me that Tom Riddle would succumb if I stood my ground.

"What do you really want from me?"

He still didn't answer but changed the subject, "You don't have any friends do you?"

"No," I half admitted. Sure, Norma was friendly enough, but only because she was alone. I surely didn't have any friends at Withers. I didn't have any family either, since I was the youngest of my generation. So no, I didn't have any friends.

"Well, then. Are you obsessed enough with me to die for me, to follow my every order, and to do whatever I ask of you?"

I could tell that he was using all of his charisma on me. And yet, it had no control over me. I saw him as he was: a sixth year with ambition larger than Hogwarts' grounds. Still, I knew he had the power and the mindset to turn that ambition in to something more. And here he was, asking me, no, inviting me to join him in his world domination. Who was I to deny my dream of spending the rest of my life with Tom Riddle?

"I can see what you are doing."

He raised an eyebrow looking truly curious.

"You're trying to charm me over, just like you do to the rest of the students and teachers. I'm not offended, in fact I'm flattered. But you aren't fooling me, I'm afraid."

Then he startled me with his laugh. It was the first time I had ever seen him really laugh, as if he had heard something that truly amused him. "Eva Smith, you are one of the strangest people I've met."

I smiled, happy that I could make him laugh and feel joy in his life, if only for a moment. "I suppose so. But you don't need to convince me to stay by your side forever. I'd do it even if you didn't ask. But in return, I'd like for you to keep your promise."

"What promise?" His eyes were playful. I knew he was surprised that I was asking for his compliance. Truthfully, I had no leverage, but he seemed to have found some entertainment in me.

"I want you to remember me and let me live forever with you."

He continued to watch me, a smile playing on his lips, but mockingly bowed, "I promise."

I couldn't contain myself and bounced a little with excitement. I smiled back and said, "So, Tom Riddle-"

"Before you continue," Tom interrupted. "If you are to be my trusted servant, you must know that my name will be known as Lord Voldemort."

"Lord, is it? Well, Lord Voldemort, I will do as you wish." I did a mock curtsy and looked back up at him with a wide smile.

Tom stared at me calmly, but told me, "I've decided that I won't teach you Occlumency. I need to make sure I can read your mind without you interfering."

I frowned and my smile disappeared. So he wasn't teaching me anything? "You don't trust me, is that it?"

"I trust no one. Meet me here tomorrow at midnight again. I will leave you new robes in your room that you will wear that night."

"Why can't I just wear my regular robes?"

"Don't question me." He spoke his words with utter calm, but it had such a sharp undertone I knew that I shouldn't press him any further. "Don't ever question me. Do what I tell you to; remember we made a deal. There will be consequences if you break that deal."

"I know." I paused for a second, contemplating my thoughts. "Didn't you say I was going to learn something tonight?"

"You did learn something tonight."

I thought about it, but I still didn't understand. Then, in the back of my mind, a voice, which sounded a lot like Tom, said, "You learned that I value you. Even if I am an obsession of yours."

I didn't like him talking to me in my mind, but I nodded, "Good night…Tom."

"Good night…Eva."

Tom's POV

Transfiguration class had become dull and uninteresting for Tom Riddle. In fact, most of his classes at Hogwarts were beginning to wane in curiosity. Nothing was new, and nothing was challenging. On top of that, he could only flaunt a fraction of his knowledge. Tom was already the most talented student at Hogwarts, and there was no point in trying harder when one has made it to the top.

Today Dumbledore had them transfiguring rabbits into hats and then into birds. It was the first three-step transfiguration involving two living creatures the class had done. Tom had lost count of his own transfigurations by then.

Along with the rest of the class, Tom walked up to the front to grab a rabbit from the large pen by Dumbledore's desk. Tom had always been wary of the professor, since he knew more about Tom's real thoughts than anyone on earth. Although Dumbledore hadn't seen much, he had seen enough. Because of this, Tom acted as friendly and as good willed as possible for dear Dumbledore. So far it had deterred the professor from investigating Tom any further since their first meeting.

As a polite student should, Tom allowed Dumbledore to explain to the class how exactly to go about changing the life form before trying it out. Tom's mind wandered, and he settled on the events of last night. He had never found anyone's mind so thoroughly disturbing as he had Eva Smith's. He had seen plenty of shallow, stupid, ignorant, and pompous minds here at Hogwarts to fill a lifetime. But this little Eva girl was on a completely different level.

For a while, he had noticed her stalking him quite frequently. It started at the end of fourth year and had blossomed over his fifth year. In her eyes, he could do no wrong. Tom wasn't flattered, but tried to think of ways to exploit it. However, she was a simple third year then, and there was no advantage by befriending her.

It was during Christmas break when he had a taste how deep her obsession over him went. While he was walking her to the common room, he had already invaded her mind. As most people, she didn't notice a thing. After only a few seconds of searching, he had struck gold upon her: she was a mudblood. That was quite a cover-up, Tom had thought. One that he had been hoping for. He saw his opportunity to strike. There would be no Muggle blood allowed in the house of Slytherin. He had only managed to petrify but desired to kill. He wanted to see what it was like to watch someone's life disappear from their eyes.

Thankfully, she never noticed that Tom had taken the longer route to the common room that night. He knew the basalisk was in that area at the time, and it would be easier to run into it. He heard the snake's thoughts grow closer and closer. It was hungry as always, and Tom was about to make a very daring decision. Eva had finally collected her thoughts when she saw the whipping of the basalisk's body. Tom thought it was stupid that her last words would have been to warn him.

But before he let the giant snake attack, he had seen something in Eva's mind that didn't add up. Tom had already turned his head and formed the words "kill her" in Parsaltongue in his mind. Yet, for a split second he couldn't speak them. He saw this young, wide-eyed girl. Her blue eyes were terribly calm, and Tom didn't like it. He wanted fear out of her. Looking into her mind, all Tom could see was her view of him and the overwhelming trust that she had in him.

It was something Tom had never seen from anyone. He had known the feeling of admiration and confidence, but not this. He had never seen a person give themselves up to him wholeheartedly. All his life, Tom had felt people's rejection, whether consciously or subconsciously, of him as a real person able to have intimacy. As much respect and recommendations he could earn from his peers and professors, every single one of them had been afraid of him. Tom had then developed a feeling of being of a higher power than everyone else. They feared him and for good measure.

But this little girl had no inkling of fear for Tom. He was her protector, she imagined. He didn't know if it was because she was so deeply in love with him that she had conditioned herself to avoid the natural feeling of fright when Tom Riddle was around or if she was just born wrong. Even the most empty-minded creature knew better than to get close to Tom. That night, it was her clear blue eyes and her clear pure mind that had stopped him from killing her.

After he had told the basalisk in Parsaltongue to go away, he couldn't understand why he changed his mind so quickly. Yes, Eva Smith might be an oddity, but did that allow her to live when his greater intentions of cleaning Hogwarts were thwarted? Part of him barked in his mind that "no" her oddity did not match up. However, what had been done had been done.

It was only until last night had he truly realized the great advantage of her trust in him. Where others might stop and question their loyalty, he could see in her heart that she would remain with him. When his visions of a new world involved complete and total warfare, the true currency was loyalty and trust. It was not hard for him to be able to trust those under him, since he could see their minds clearly. But for them to trust him was a different story. Yet Eva was the first, and he slowly was seeing the benefit from it.

The only problem he saw from her was her foolish dreams of love. Despite the fact of them being downright annoying and disturbing, they were distracting. She was constantly having daydreams, which made seeing what was really on her mind that much harder. It was not very pleasant having to see himself perform acts he knew he would never do.

Yet, the fact that he found her images unpleasant, he never stopped himself flirting with her. He liked to see how far he could lead her on. Eventually, she would realize that he was simply toying with her. She was not overly self confident, and that was something that Tom could take advantage of. In fact, she had many attributes that Tom found appealing: she, like him, was an orphan; she was smart and learned quickly; she was still young; and, despite whatever true feelings he had against her, she was very pretty. To his strange pleasure, she never realized how pretty she in fact was. And over the summer she had become less of a gangly child and more into a young woman. But Tom tried hard not to notice such insignificant things.

Tonight was her first meeting. Tom didn't have a name for the associations, but for now it was unnecessary. It was only a few boys and Tom himself set out on mapping Hogwarts and finding every secret to be had. He wasn't sure if Eva would be an asset or not, but they would find out tonight.

Dumbledore was walking around the classroom and stopped at Tom's desk. The young man had already transformed his third rabbit when Dumbledore said, "Tom, I think you've made your point. Well done. Now class, I hope that some of you were paying attention to Tom's emphasis on the vowels sounds of the second incantation, for that is where the real magic lies."

Tom sat in his desk, planning out what they would do for tonight's adventure when a dark-haired Ravenclaw reached over her desk to get his attention. "You're really talented Tom. You could probably teach me a thing or two." She giggled with her last sentence.

The praise was nothing new to Tom. He could see right away she was just interested in the skin-deep Tom, like every other girl that he knew. His beauty was a curse as much as it was a blessing. People loved beautiful people, so it was easier to get away with what he wanted. At the same time, he wanted to slice his entire face off for looking like the dead bastard he shared a name with.

Tom glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He gave her a smirk, but didn't reply. She knew Tom Riddle didn't open flirt with other girls. She smiled to herself, happy with the smirk she received, and turned back to her rabbit. The attention and the admiration from peers was something Tom had become accustomed to. During his orphanage years, none of the children admired him; they feared him of course, but nothing more than that. When Tom had first come to Hogwarts, he relished in the feeling of acknowledged superiority. Now, it had become a dull sensation.

Yet Eva Smith had stung him with her difference. She too had admired him but not blindly. Tom was glad to have taken her under his wing quickly, but he wondered what would become of their relationship in the future.


	4. October 31, 1943

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eva's 15th birthday.

Hogwarts  
(1942-1947)

October 31, 1943

Today was my birthday. I turned fifteen and was very proud of myself. When I was younger, I couldn't wait to be fifteen. It was such an important number. Without fifteen, you couldn't get to sixteen. Going from fourteen to sixteen was a big leap. At fourteen, you were just learning the ropes of the teenager world. By sixteen, you should know what you want and how to get it. So in between those worlds was the year of fifteen. This year, I was determined to find out everything there was to the world and chose my place in it.

So far, I was gaining closer access to my main object of desire: Tom Riddle. Ever since that second night at Hogwarts, I had gone to what Tom called, "meetings." There was one about every month or so, seeing that we had only been to two so far. Where we would meet was always a surprise. Since I was new to this club, I was usually the last to know the location. The first meeting I came to, the night after I was invited, was in the Forbidden Forest. I only found out by following Tom the entire evening. I admit, I was terrified to follow him at first. I reasoned, if the forest was forbidden then it must have dangerous creatures within. But I convinced myself to go. I rationalized that no intelligent founders would have placed their school next to something really dangerous. However, the real argument that pushed me out the door was that if I didn't show, Tom Riddle would never lay eyes on me again. I wasn't about to turn back when I had come this far.

I remembered distinctly the atmosphere of my first meeting. I was late, but not the last one there. Everyone wore the same mask and robes that I had; we were identical. The robes were solid black, with so much excess material it was hard to tell anyone's body shape. It was hooded and covered almost every part of my body. The mask was boring in itself, without any designs or markings. It only had holes for eyes and the mouth. Breathing in it was uncomfortable at best; I felt like I made such a loud noise whenever I took a breath. I tried my best to limit my intake. Tom had on a special mask so that everyone there would know he was the leader. Since everyone wore the same plain masks, I was never completely certain who I shared my membership with. I was pretty sure that Romule Lestrange, Peter Avery, and Arthur Macnair were a part of this group judging by their voices and body language, and thankfully my guess had paid off in finding the second location.

For as much excitement and adrenaline that had pumped in my veins that night, it turned out to be quite boring. I expected some elaborate ritual in which I would be inducted to Tom's secret club. On the contrary, I wasn't even recognized as a new member. None of the members talked to each other, we only talked to Tom. He, of course, could talk to everyone. By wand, he had made a charm on his voice so that it was unrecognizable to his own, like a constant harmonic echo of his natural voice. Precautionary measures, I thought. Although I knew Tom was in no way as perfect as he appeared, he took great lengths to convince the world otherwise. There was no way in proving that any of these meetings or what they consisted of tied back to Tom. He even made a petition to hold a study group every night the meetings took place.

He gave a long-winded speech about how the new school year brought new advantages. This year he, meaning us, would delve further into the unexplored parts of Hogwarts and its grounds. As well, he would teach us magic that the professors didn't want us to learn; I could tell that was the golden words that the others had been wanting. Tom continued further in saying how the educational system as well as the entire magical government was draining into the sewers. I had to admit that he had the gift of powerful persuasion as well as charisma. His words gave me a sense of urgency, as if we needed to change the world right at this moment. Later that night, I had to calm myself down by realizing he could probably convince me to jump off a cliff, and I would have already leaped.

All in all, there were about ten of us, including myself. Judging by voices, I was pretty sure I was the only female in the group. That made me immensely proud of myself. I was the only woman in Tom's real life. Now, I just needed to make sure I kept myself on his good terms. I was so close, yet at the same time so far. In my fantasies, I always thought I would feel awkward once he knew I had such a big crush on him. But in reality, I wasn't too upset about it. In all the times we were in each others' presence, we never discussed it; though I did want to bring it up numerous times, our situation was always too delicate to bring it up.

Our second meeting was in the library, of all places. I had to find out by pestering Romule. I felt bad, especially since I barely knew him. He was a grade above me and a foot taller. His dark hair was always in his eyes. He had the prettiest eyes in the whole house of Slytherin: a cerulean blue with flecks of green. He was so modest not many people knew. Once Norma found out she wouldn't stop talking about how handsome he was.

I had stopped him when he was leaving his divination class. "Romule!"

He turned to look for the caller and was surprised when he saw it was "the Smith girl," the loving term all of Slytherin knew me as. "Yes?" his smooth tenor voice asked.

"Um…did you get note?" Tom left notes with each invited person that was addressed with the full name of the recipient. The trick was that there was nothing else written on the parchment. If it was found, there were literally no secrets to tell.

Romule raised both eyebrows, shocked. I guess he didn't realize I was the one girl in the Forbidden Forest last time. In the next moment he frowned. "What note?"

I closed my eyes so he wouldn't see my eyes roll. He must think that I'm trying to crash the party. Of course, why would he assume that I was the one girl, since I wasn't even seen often with Tom? I decided that frankness would be the best point of action to take. "Look, Romule, I know it's tonight, and," I lowered my voice to a whisper, "probably at midnight like last time. We went to the Forbidden Forest before, and we didn't do anything except stand around in the cold for an hour."

Romule brushed his hair out of his face, and I could see why Norma was so attracted. He had a genuine face too, not like Tom's which always seemed to be hiding something. I was surprised, really, that such an open person could be in line with someone like Tom Riddle. Even I didn't give off as much wholesomeness as he did. He looked me over, then said, "I don't remember seeing your face there."

Aha, a trick question. "We were all wearing masks, remember?"

A smile rose on his face, and he gave out a chuckle. "You were the new one who made such a racket with your breathing?"

I sighed and blushed a little. I thought only I could hear that. I tugged on my skirt, anxious to find out tonight's meeting and get to my next class on time. "Yeah, that was me… so where is tonight's?"

"In the library. Don't worry about it being closed; just be there on time outside the main doors and we'll get you in. See you there." I started taking off as soon as he said "on time." I waved him a thanks, then ran up three flights of stairs to make it in time for Ancient Ruins.

The meeting in the library was much more comfortable, since we got to sit down at a table. Although I met the group in the front of the locked library, Tom led us around the hallway to a secret entrance behind a tapestry of famous wizard duels. He claimed the passageway only worked certain parts of the year, and tonight was one of those times. I generally believed him, because what student of Hogwarts would want to break into the library of all places? Only Tom.

In fact, that was his biggest topic of the night. He explained that more magic and knowledge was in here than we could contain in our own brains. He went on to brag that he had learned the secrets to most and was probably more intelligent and wise than the professors here at Hogwarts. One of the members coughed, and that led to a series of events that no one foresaw.

Tom, with his charmed voice, pointed his wand and accusingly asked, "Was that something in your throat or did you want to add on?" He paused, almost waiting for an answer. The young man the question was directed to, sitting three people away from Tom on his left, kept quiet and eerily still. He must have been terrified, because even I was nervous. I was sitting across from him and had a good view to see the entire tension filled conversation.

"Please add on Williams, we are so desperate to hear your earned and respected opinion. You have the audacity to question my intelligence, so still you should have the bravery to stand up for your beliefs."

Nothing but silence.

In a quick stroke, Tom said an incantation and a beam of blue light shot out at Williams. Suddenly, horrific choking sounds came from him. He kept clawing at is throat, as if there was some invisible demon suffocating his life. Huge rasps of air came screaming from him, but it wasn't enough. After what seemed an hour, but probably no more than a minute, he lost his energy and stopped clawing. We all heard him finally able to take in a large breath, without choking. After he exhaled, his head slammed onto the table. He was out cold.

Tom continued to talk as if the whole thing had never happened. Within five or ten minutes of his speech, Williams woke up. He too acted as if the whole thing had not happened. In fact, after the whole meeting was over and I crawled back into my four-poster bed, I questioned if the strange event took place as well. Yet, I knew it did, and I knew that Tom Riddle was not a force to be reckoned with.

But, despite the newfound adventure in my life, here I was on my birthday waiting outside the potion's classroom for Tom. At the moment, he was in Professor Slughorn's classroom for one of his famous "Slug Club" sessions. Although I was pretty good at potions, I was never an outgoing student. At one time, I believe Slughorn had invited me; I could never be quite sure if it was a real invitation because as I recall he was heavily under the influence of what smelled to be brandy. My intuition firmly told me not to accept anything from a drunk man. Whatever the case may be, I did just fine without the Slug Club. Now, however, I regret it since I recently found out Tom was a member.

Today was a big day for him, or at least, that was what he told me. He was going to ask Slughorn something, of which I had no idea. What he did tell me was, "It is something that will allow me to change the world. With it, you can be at my side eternally." That was all I needed to hear.

He wanted me to wait for him so that I would be easy to find. Ever since that fateful night in the Slytherin common room, I had become his personal secretary as well as the new member in his "study group." I would do whatever task he asked; mostly it was research books, get information out of people, find truth from gossip, look for more hidden corridors, and anything else he could push on me in my spare time. Strangely enough, it seemed that Tom knew the answers before I ever told him. It could have been due to the mind reading, or he could be just sending me on tasks to keep my mind occupied and off of him. Today, though, I assumed he was going to send me on some errant once he found out whatever it was he wanted from Slughorn. Anything for Tom, was my reply.

Despite our sudden relationship with each other, no one assumed that we had become more than friends and even then, not many people assumed that. They all figured that "the Smith girl" was just head over heels for Tom and that he could make her do anything. They had certainly got the facts right, but they had the reasons all wrong. Somehow, I knew that Tom's knowledge and power would make him great, above other men. All of the professors seemed to think that anyways. I had a firm belief that he would be no ordinary wizard. Someday Tom would have everything under his power and his control, just as he proclaimed. And there I would reside, next to him always.

Romule, Peter Avery, Shmi Zabini, Alphard and Cygnus Black, three Gryffindors, and a Ravenclaw exited from the potion's room. I knew that Tom's talk with Slughorn might take a while, so I slid down onto the carpeted floor and waited. As Romule passed, he gave me a slight curl of the mouth. I gave a small smiled back. The rest of them disregarded the blonde girl scrunched up on the floor and continued their way to get ready for the Halloween Ceremony.

After they had all left, I stretched out my legs and fixed my robe so that it wouldn't bunch. If I stretched far enough my feet could almost reach the other side of the hall. I had grown over the summer, and Tom had as well. My Muggle headmistress said I was almost five foot six. That meant I was taller than my mother.

After little while later, I finally saw Tom exit from the classroom door. He was looking quite pleased. I pulled myself up and dusted off. "So…did he tell you what you wanted?"

Tom didn't answer, but grabbed my arm lightly and pulled me alongside him. His mouth was tightly pursed, thinking over the events he just encountered. I could see in his eyes a hidden excitement. He dragged me to library where I expected he would make me research on whatever he had learned. He burst through the front doors, and we both got a look from the librarian. Her dark beady eyes glared at us over her spectacles. Our abrupt entrance must have bothered her from reading the likes of Tender Liaisons: A Tale of Passion. She wasn't prepared to have visitors since most students were not focusing on their work, but rather on the upcoming parties. Tom finally let me go once we were outside of the forbidden section.

I waited patiently again for him, peering in as much as I could without letting the librarian know what we were up to. I leaned over the small rope that cut off the section from the rest of the hallway, but I ventured no further. The small secluded hallway of books was dark and dreary as ever. I always swore I heard the books scream every time I passed. Yet I think if I told anyone that, they'd think me mad. I was never afraid of the dark, but the dark of the forbidden section always gave me the shivers. I wondered if Tom felt the same way. I could see a light at the end of his wand brighter than any Lumos spell I've seen. I wasn't quite sure why I was being dragged around if he was going to do all the work. Then again, it was either following Tom openly or stuck in my room imagining myself follow him.

Tom's eyes were gleaming with delight when he walked out with a book in his hands. I couldn't see the title, but I could tell it was old. It might have been written in a different language but I couldn't really tell. Once we walked to Madam Pince's desk, his face was somber.

The librarian hid her romance novel under the desk and then reached out for Tom's book. She glanced at it, assuming it was nothing but ordinary. However, as she was cataloguing it, she looked it up and down with intent. Her face looked estranged, and I was close to sure that she was going to deny him the book. After eyeing it a third time, she looked up at Tom above her glasses and said, "My, this is quite a book you have here Mr. Riddle."

He sighed and looked dejected. Tom was going to work his own magic. "I understand Madam Pince. It's just… well there is this essay that I've been working on, about the Dark Arts and their unstable evil qualities. I believe once I am finished that it will allow people to understand that the Dark Arts is more than just magic that's wrong: it's dangerous. I need it only for reference, I assure you. But I can understand if you don't want to give me the book."

Madam Pince smiled in relief and believed his story a hundred percent. "Oh. Then...since it's just for reference... I trust you'll bring it back shortly and there won't be any problems ,Mr. Riddle."

I couldn't understand how he was able to get away with so much. If I had given her the same exact story, with the same enthusiasm that Tom had given, I would be looking at time with the Headmaster. Sometimes I felt like I was the only one who could see through his charming lies. Then again, the entire faculty seemed to be wrapped around Tom's little finger. Anything he said was pure gold, and anything he wanted was handed to him on a plate.

As we exited the doors of the library, I looked up at Tom with interest on my face. I was truly curious to what his intentions were for this night. I was surprised that he had not sent me on a job by now, or had left me somewhere to do something mundane, while he, of course, went off to perform whatever "experiments," he had up his sleeve. He looked back at me, his lips curling into a characteristic smirk. With his slightly deep voice, he stated, "Now that I have this, we will be going back to the common rooms."

We went down to the dungeons and entered through the stone wall. The password this time was, "Acromantulas." Tom quickly ran down to the boy's common room to get whatever he wanted, and I stood next to the entrance waiting for him. The evening was still early, and most of the Slytherins were still relaxing before the Halloween celebrations began. I was sure that a few of the older students were planning a pretty exciting party. I wasn't sad to miss it, since I wasn't invited. I watched Carina and Druella Rosier sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace talking to each other. Even though the sisters were whispering, I overheard them.

Carina's low voice sounded stressed, "Druella, Mum and Dad are becoming insistent. It's as if they want me engaged before I graduate. I am not their doll they can play with, dictating my life piece by piece." Druella patted her leg and nodded. Carina continued, brushing away her brown hair out of her face, "They told me, 'Carina! You must find someone suitable soon to advance the continuation of your line.' The nerve!"

Poor Carina was in a situation many of the older girls found themselves in: marriage and pureblood lineage. It was not uncommon, as I soon found out, for parents to encourage their children to find a mate as soon as possible, even while still in Hogwarts. Pureblood wizards and witches were the only option.

Carina sighed and sat back into the couch. "But, I will tell you, if I had to marry anyone I have my eyes set on Macnair. I'm pretty sure he fancies me, and his strong chin would be a good trait for my boys."

"That's all you see Rina," Druella giggled. "But I'm just hexing myself by laughing at you now. Undoubtedly, Mum has already sent me my own letter." Carina laughed back at her sister, knowing that was a viable future.

Orion and Cygnus Black were in the corner finishing Orion's charm lesson. The Black children were the best looking Slytherins (next to Tom, that was), and Cygnus and Orion were the handsomest. Cygnus had thick dark curly hair, a sculpted face, and dark, mysterious eyes. He was smarter than Orion, but not by much. He was nicer than his sister, Walburga, who graduated last year, but his brother Alphard was the nicest Black. Alphard was the only Prefect who would give me the time of day. Even Tom would ignore my question.

Cygnus shouted in frustration to his cousin, "How is it possible to be such an imbecile?" His cousin simply shrugged and asked him if he could just tell him the answer to get it over with. Cygnus sighed defeatedly and complied.

Indus and Dorado Selwyn were also in the common room, chatting up third year Abraxas Malfoy in the other corner. It seemed as if they were trying to get him to help out in one of their pranks. They, unlike the Rosier sisters, were whispering quietly enough that I couldn't hear them. Abraxas looked less than convinced, but Dorado continued to push him.

By that time, Tom had come. He exited through the door and I followed. I noticed he had his small book bag with him, the one he usually took to the library to store books. Before I left, I heard Carina whisper to Druella how, "that poor Smith girl is like a dog to follow him around-"

The comments stung, but I simply tried to ignore them. I was with Tom, and he was going to rule the world. Although it may not be the most important thing in the world, power was very good currency. If Tom Riddle had all the power in the world, I would be privy to it. If I had all the power in the world, nothing would stop me from loving Tom. No one could say anything against it, and everyone would have to comply with me for once.

I followed Tom halfway around the castle until we reached a girls' bathroom on the third floor corridor. By that time, I heard the gleeful cries of the first years enjoying the Halloween dinner. I always felt like it was my special birthday meal, but now I was to miss it for the first year ever. On the brighter side, I was with Tom on my birthday. That was a perfect gift. Tom stopped in front of the girls' bathroom door. I had been behind him for most of the long journey, so I was a little surprised when he turned to look at me in the eyes. His own face had a maddening look. "Eva," he paused, and calmed himself, "Smith, did you know that seven is the most magically secure number?"

I truly didn't know, but I wanted to seem as pleasant as possible. His look would petrify even seventh years. I reasoned that the best thing to do now was to be calm and agree with his every word. "No, but that does make sense."

"Yes, seven is the perfect number." Then Tom continued to mumble under his breath while glancing around the corridors and playing with his wand. I thought he had gone mad and looked for some sign of sanity. We simply stood outside the door. I wasn't sure if we, or I, were going inside, or if we had stopped here for some pep-talk. But with Tom, everything had a purpose. As I stood in the growing awkwardness of his diminishing coherence, the bathroom gained sudden significance. This was the same place where the Ravenclaw girl had died last year from the beast. Suddenly, I realized we were there by no coincidence.

He suddenly looked at me with intent in his eyes and I saw his light grey eyes sparkle. "Do you know I have the power to kill you?"

I was frozen by his words. I couldn't say anything. How does one reply to a death threat from a man you love? I wasn't afraid of him however. I knew he simply stated it as fact. I swallowed and nodded.

"You are a good servant to me, and I don't believe you would betray me. Where we go next, you must never tell a soul. If you talk, you will be punished. Simply follow me and watch. If you break any of my orders, you will know what will happen."

I knew exactly what would happen. Visions of Williams crept into my head, but in this situation, I imagined something much worse.

I followed Tom inside the bathroom. He went to one of the sinks, and I heard him hiss at it. To my shock, the sink and the wall had crumbled itself into the back wall. A huge hole in the wall was left where the plumbing had been moments previous. Tom, with no reaction, simply climbed down into the gap. Trying not to be apprehensive, I followed him down what seemed to be a sewer. Thankfully, it did not smell as bad as I thought it would. Once I found we were walking down stairs, he lit his wand and told me to do so as well.

After minutes of silence, though occasionally small squeals of disgust coming from my own mouth, we reached a solid wall with snakes carved into it. In the dim light, they seemed to slither with their emeralds eyes shining a warning to me. What they were trying to tell me was unknown, but a shiver climbed down my back when I stared at the serpent.

Despite Tom having no affection for almost all animals, he had a tenderness for snakes. He gently slid his fingers around the carvings, touching their coiled bodies as if they were alive. Tom hissed again and the snake doors opened.

Down the lightless and dank hall, Tom kept quickening his pace. I did not speed along as fast as he liked. I was surveying my surroundings, which looked scarier and scarier. The dark walls were dripping with something, and there were rat skeletons everywhere on the floor. I had no idea what was down here killing all of the rodents, but I did not want to meet it. From what I could tell with the small amount of light emitting from our wands, there were huge statues of snakes lining the whole corridor. This sewer pipe we seemed to be walking through was about as wide as ten people and twice as tall.

I felt a bit in shock that such a room, such a passageway, existed in Hogwarts. What Tom preached about in his meetings were, in fact, the truth. There was a secret side of Hogwarts that only the ambitious found. This felt like the most exciting thing I had ever done, especially with Tom at my side or, at least, somewhat near me. I did feel proud and excited in the fact that I was doing things that no fourth year had ever done.

Then Tom stopped and waited for me to reach him. Once I caught up to him, he grabbed my elbow and told me, "Stop dawdling."

I looked up at him with a perturbed face. I wasn't dawdling - I was surveying. However, his face no longer held the deranged look that I saw in the bathroom. He was much calmer and had a slight dreamy face, as if he was reliving a good memory.

"It's just a little farther," he explained.

Soon we had entered an enormous room. Our shadows from the light we casted no longer hit walls and the floors became rat-free. Upon closer inspection, I saw we were on marble flooring. I had lost Tom at this point, and was standing alone in what seemed to be a room as grand as Hogwarts' dinning commons. Suddenly, light filled the grand room, and I squinted my eyes. I said the spell to put a stopper to my wand light. There were fires blazing from torches hung long ago, and I was affronted by a colossal wizard. A statue of a foreboding man was looking down upon me as if I were an insect. He was made of stone and had a monkey-like scowl. Tom stood in front of the statue, looking around as if he was calculating how big the chamber was. The sight of him, in front of the statue with a concentrated look on his face banished my unpleasant thoughts. He looked adorably confused, in contrast with the grand statue who looked sever and very sure of himself. I felt real love for Tom.

Finally, he spoke, "Yes, I think this will do. Now let me find the incantation."

Tom pulled out the library book from his bag and began to flip through the pages in a hurried fashion. Once he found his page, he looked at me straight-faced. "I need you here to watch after my body after the spell is performed. There has been known to be severe side-effects, mortality being one of them. I wanted to be cautious."

I frowned slightly, wondering what on earth Tom had gotten himself into. "Tom… is this safe? Should you be doing this?"

He looked less than thrilled to answer my questions. "What must be done will be done," he said coldly, "whether you find it to be safe or not." I crossed my arms, frustrated at his tone of voice. I wanted what was best for him, and he didn't see it. His eyebrows furrowed into his eyes, and he too crossed his arms. I knew he was analyzing my thoughts, so I quickly dropped my arms and submitted to his authority. I wanted to be here with him more than anything, Salazar Slytherin as my witness.

"Good, I'm glad you've decided choose the right path. Now I'm going to read this aloud. I want you to be inside the hallway where we entered. The whole thing is experimental at best, and I do not want you to be involved any further than you must. Not until everything has been finished can you come out. Understand?"

I nodded and obeyed, becoming slightly worried to what was going to happen. I turned around and headed towards the safety of the hallway, about twenty feet away from Tom who was overshadowed by the statue behind him.

We stood in silence. Tom then smiled at me, genuinely, and called out. "It shouldn't be too hard then."

There was so much I wanted to say to him. This whole evening had been a blur. I was too far to see Tom's watch, but it felt as if hours had gone by since I was waiting for him outside of the potion's classroom. Something was happening now that would change him; I was afraid. What were we doing down here? Why was all of this happening now? But most importantly, what did Slughorn tell him?

So many questions, yet no answers were available. I watched Tom hold the library book in his outstretched right hand. He had taken out another smaller book while I walked towards the safety of the dark entrance. The young man clenched the book in his left hand. He seemed apprehensive, yet stubborn in his ways. He was determined to go through this, whatever his torture may be.

He cleared his throat, then spoke in a loud, commanding tone the words of the spell. "Quisnam votum vita vos effrego. Quisnam volo veres vos cado primoris. Specialis vita es per nex, quod per vestri animus via exsisto incidere."

He took a deep breath of life, then looked at me. His eyes were calm and he looked relieved at first. I started to smile, thinking he was scared of nothing when I became blinded by a bright green light. I felt an impact on my chest and was knocked to the floor. A wind was screaming through the hallway and I was deaf to anything. Suddenly the wind stopped and all I heard was a child-like whimper of pain; only after did I realize it was from myself. A high piercing scream rang out, and I willed myself back up to stand despite the soreness from the fall. The bright green light was still emitting. I kept my hand above my eyes, and I was able to see a small black figure in the center of the explosion. I could feel my heart race and my palms sweat. Was that the last time I would see Tom? Creepily, the light melted into a blood red while the scream did not waver. I felt surrounded by its Dark Magic, thick in the back of my throat and deep in the pit of my stomach. It made me want to throw up and run back to the third floor bathroom. I lowered my hand and looked straight at where Tom had been. There was no sign of anyone, but the screams still continued while the light transformed into a white fog. I didn't move.

Then an eerie quite came over everything. All I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears. I clutched my robes so tight I thought I would burst a blood vessel. A minute passed before I heard anything else. I stared at where Tom had been but there was nothing but a wall of white.

There was a soft "flomp" that reminded me of when my pillow fell on the floor. I wanted to go see what had happened, but I remembered that I had to obey Tom.

Soon enough, I heard his voice, or at least his laughter. It was strangely high-pitched and very cold. It sent shivers throughout my body, but I felt a warmth inside knowing that Tom was alive. The laughter continued for quite a while.

"Eva!" I made no reply, still frightened from the demonic laughter. "Eva come out here! It's safe, everything is fine. Everything is magnificent!"

The fog began to dissipate while I hesitantly followed Tom's voice. When I saw his dark figured hunched, I became worried. Then his head swiveled towards me. His face was shining, but not in a good way. He was pale and sweaty. Tom's features were stronger than ever. He still clutched his little book in his left hand, and the library book was discarded on the floor. I walked closer to him slowly. I was unsure about his attitude, since he had warned me there were side-effects. At the same time, I still had not understood what had gone on; what I did know was that he had just performed dangerous and far advanced Dark Magic. We were just a foot away from each other, and he waved his little brown book in front of me. I glanced at it. It was some sort of journal or diary, but I was not exactly sure what else I was looking for.

Tom Riddle laughed again. "Seven is the most magical number Eva, and with five more of these, I will live forever. Lord Voldemort will live forever!" His eyes were blazing with emotion, more than I had ever seen before. I might have been a bit frightened, but more than ever I felt excited as he was.

Tom gently put the diary back in his satchel that was lying on the floor. My heart was throbbing in my chest as he grabbed my shoulders lightly and pulled me towards his body. We locked eyes, and I could see a sudden flash of red in grey which startled me. He whispered to me, in a deep ragged breath, "I will live forever Eva. And you can live forever with me."

Tom looked at me with such intensity, I felt like he couldn't have been looking at me. Who was I compared to him. Out of all the people in the world, why was he here with me in this underground lair?

There must be something between Tom and I, some web of fate that had tied it strings around us to bring the two of us together. His body was so close to mine, and his whole aura seemed to emit this deep, raw emotion. I was truly taken aback. I had never in my life seen Tom so open as this.

Then Tom pulled me even closer to his body so that our faces were inches away. I hadn't ever been this close to any man. Was this some sort of dream that my head had imagined? Was I going to wake up, sad and depressed, knowing it did not and would not happen?

His beautiful face inched closer, and I could hardly believe it. His eyes bore into mine, and I felt captured under his own seduction. Truly, I had no idea what was happening and what was going to happen. I forgot why on earth I was down there with him. I recalled Tom previously mentioning I was supposed to help him from his side-effects. Was this untamed passion emitting from him part of the spell's reaction?

As our faces inched closer, I felt myself come to a conclusion. Tom did have feelings for me. His guard was down and I could sense it. I closed my eyes, half expecting him to kiss me, and half expecting to awake from a dream. Then I felt his soft lips on mine, slightly tentative, and I died on the inside. I kissed back, hoping that I was doing it right. I had never kissed anyone before.

Tom reacted to my lips and became more aggressive, making our embrace closer. Kissing him was nothing like I expected, but it was nevertheless enjoyable. No matter how I envisioned it before, this was something that not even my dreams could create.

I never wanted to let him go. His hands climbed up my neck, and he wrapped his fingers in my hair. Tom deepened the kiss, and I took a deep breath. I slipped my arms around his neck. He continued kissing me, but it became more feverish. I was already melting from his touch. Tom lowered his hands down my back and pulled my body closer to his. I could feel his warm chest against my own. Then, his right hand slid down farther and lightly grazed my backside. His hand stopped on my left thigh, and he pulled my leg up around his waist. I wasn't prepared, and I lost my balance.

We both fell to the floor, with Tom on top of me. He had tried his best to break my fall with his arms. Our bodies were a tangled mess, and yet Tom never stopped kissing me. It was an unquenchable hunger to him and, admittedly, to myself as well.

Then, I realized: there is nothing else that I would rather do, than be on this dirty chamber floor, kissing the future Lord Voldemort on Halloween during my fifteenth birthday.


	5. April 28, 1945

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eva attends a Quidditch game.

Hogwarts  
(1942-1947)

April 28, 1945

I rubbed my hands together trying to create as much warmth as possible as I marched down the crowded halls of Hogwarts. Though spring was in full bloom, the British weather still enjoyed instilling as many dreary, cold days as it could. Today was one of the chilliest in months; even the body-warmth from students travelling outside for the Quidditch match couldn't keep me warm. Walking past the Great Hall, much too far from my room, I fully regretted not bringing my woolen gloves to today's game. Still, I had my warm hat and green scarf over my winter robes. As Norma, Druella, Meredith, and I skipped down the stone steps to the field, I casted a small warming spell in my robe pockets.

Druella spied what I was doing and asked me excitedly, "Oh, could you show me how to do that? I'm freezing!" I gave her a friendly smile and told her how to perform the charm. The rest of the girls copied and, with our bodies greatly warmed, followed the worn path towards the field. Now, in the last months of my fifth year I could happily forget the unpopularity that had plagued me during the beginning years of Hogwarts.

Everything started turning around last year, after Tom had taken me down into the sewers on my birthday. I revisited that night countless times, and I recalled every moment.

It had ended abruptly and unexpectedly. We were tangled on the floor with our hands exploring each other's body and our lips in constant motion. Then after what seemed like an hour, Tom jolted away from me as if I had electrocuted him. He scrambled up to his feet, went to pick up his books, and started walking towards the large pipe leading to the exit. He never even looked at me as he left. I recalled watching him walk away upside down while I remained lying on the hard floor. Afterwards I must have been in shock, since I remember thinking nothing and only following my heart's desire. After exiting the bathroom, Tom had waited for me. He caught my wrist in his grasp and told me to forget tonight. Then he left me alone.

He left me alone for quite a while in fact. Every day I would try to steal a moment with him, but he wouldn't allow it. Though I was tempted to be depressed, I knew I had to stand strong. What happened that night was real, and I wasn't about to forget it. After about a month, I was afraid that I would no longer be part of his secret club. There had been no invitations, and none of the other members even looked at me as we passed in the halls. It had started sending me over the edge. I wasn't eating very much at that time and even the other girls seemed worried for me.

But on the first Saturday of December, he left a note outside my door with my name on it and nothing else. I was thrilled - so much so I started dancing around the room, waving my note around like a lunatic and squealing with joy on my bed. Thank Merlin no one else was in the room to see my antics. Sunday, I cornered Romule again as he was leaving breakfast. Before I got the chance to ask him where the location was, he assured me to "Try the Astronomy Tower, and I suggest you bring a broom."

That Sunday night, after meeting up at the Astronomy Tower then flying into an unused classroom on the opposite side of Hogwarts, Tom showed us a few defense spells. He preferred attack spells to anything, but he admitted that "this group was not up to par to be dealing with the type of magic I have ready to administer." During the entire practice I tried hard to make sure that Tom noticed me and that I would win back his trust. It must have worked since later in the night I was audibly noted for my defense skills as well as my attack spells by Tom. I was glad that no one could see my goofy smile underneath the mask. At about three in the morning, Tom called the meeting to an end.

After everyone was leaving slowly to go back into the common room, I was held back by Tom. My fantasies were going wild as he and I were one of the few people left in the room. He handed something shaped like a bowl into my hand. The room was dark and the eye-holes for the mask weren't the best so I couldn't tell exactly what it was. He whispered in my ear, "Perhaps you can breathe quieter in this one," then he walked away into the corridor.

I smiled to myself as I stared down at the new mask he made me.

From that night on, none of the Slytherin students picked on me anymore. No longer did I bring shame upon the Slytherin House. In fact, they finally realized how smart I was. The changes gradually built up. First, I was asked for homework help from Norma; that eventually turned into invitations to Hogsmead from the rest of the girls. Suddenly, Druella, Norma, even Meredith, and I were friends. Meredith never truly warmed up to me, but Druella and Norma were probably the closest thing to friends I ever had. Our awkward quartet had worked out well though, since Meredith was boy crazy and constantly with her flavor of the month. That usually left me with the other two. Even the Slytherin boys had stopped ignoring me as if I was a part of the furniture. The more I thought about it, I think the change had to do with Romule's kindness more than Tom's acceptance, but I was happy to finally feel at home.

This year I had been made prefect, and everything had gotten even better. I was able to be with Tom even more since he had been elected for Head Boy. On top of it, he entrusted me to even more secrets about Hogwarts. I learned plenty more charms and spells from him; one of them being the body-warming spell. If I didn't see him during prefect duties, I would occasionally meet him in the library. Since we were in different years, we shared no classes. Yet daily I was falling more and more in love with him. My life revolved around him now, and I couldn't think of a more wonderful life.

But then again, it had its downfalls. One being Augustus Rookwood. He too had been made prefect of the fifth years, but he was a pain in my side as any. I was never one hundred percent sure if he was included in Tom's meetings, but I assumed as much. At any rate, he seemed intent on courting me. Of course, my heart lied in another's hands, but he never seemed to get that message. The more I refused him, the more he pressed. More than two years ago, Augustus barely even knew who I was, and now he has the nerve to think I'll just fall for him? I didn't even know him that well. I mean, maybe if Tom was not in my life, he could have a chance. But Tom Riddle was definitely a part of my life, forever. Rookwood still had the nerve to flirt with me endlessly and always sit close to me in classes, despite my lack of interest in him.

Finally, my new friends had enough. Druella, of all people, was the first to stand up. It was during breakfast a couple weeks ago, when he walked up behind me and covered my eyes. "Guess who?" he asked. At the time, I was dumbfounded. Who on earth would do such an embarrassing greeting to me? Certainly not Tom – not in a million years. Norma, Druella, and Meredith were sitting with me at the table. "Er… who?" I asked timidly.

The cold hands yanked themselves off my face and Augustus spun his face in front of mine. "Who else?" I let out a small sigh, hoping he wouldn't notice. He made Norma and Romule scoot away on the bench to make room so he could sit next to me. "Come on love, can't you be a wee bit excited to see me?"

"Not entirely, Augustus. I see you often enough that you have become quite an unexcitable event." Maybe that would make him leave, I had thought.

"Is that so? Well, I suppose I'm going to have to put more effort into my quality time with you."

I bit off a piece of toast, chewed, and swallowed. "If you must…"

"Eva, I do try hard. I do like you, though I know you have a hard time liking me. The reasons? ... I haven't a clue. But all I ask is you give me a chance." I was trying hard to politely ignore him, while eating the rest of my breakfast. The other girls were staring at me, silently communicating to me "get him out of here!" I tried shrugging at them, indicating I have never had this problem, thus I had no idea how to solve it. It was when he placed a ruby necklace in my hand that made us lose our calm.

I started choking on my toast in utter shock. Meredith gasped and reached across the table to get a better look at it. Druella, sitting beside her, swatted Meredith's arm to keep her from stealing it out of my palm. Norma, wanting to know what the commotion was about, peaked over Augustus' tall body. She was the first one to speak, "Well I'll be damned. That looks real Eva!"

Really unnecessary, is what I thought. I couldn't understand how he could be spending money, or perhaps stealing, for me! I definitely wasn't worth it. After I thoroughly swallowed the stuck toast and washed it out with a glass of milk, I looked over the fine piece of jewelry. After turning it over in my hand, I looked at him warily, "Augustus…"

"Say no more love. This is for you, and you can be getting much more of where that came from." I looked at his face, which was beaming with excitement. I believe he expected me to jump into his arms and declare, "I'm yours now!" Well, that was simply not going to happen. I had devoted too much time and energy into my love for Tom to just drop it. Though I had to admit to myself that being treated so nicely and so lovingly was definitely tempting. I stared into his dark blue eyes as I tried to figure out what to say.

Most of me said to say no to him, and that I would be reward soon enough by my true love. I would just be unhappy with Augustus. Though he was a relatively nice boy and handsome if one could see past his scars, I was not attracted to him as I was to Tom. But a small part of me said I should give it a chance. I opened my mouth, still unsure what I was going to say. Whatever I would say was going to hurt someone. It felt a million years for the words to travel from my brain to my tongue.

However, Druella had interrupted my sentence before it started. "Rookwood! How can you make Eva decide like this? Out of all the harassment you've given her, this is the most ungentlemanly. Do not coerce her with expensive gifts like that – she'll love your money not you. You should just treat her kindly and let her go. If she wants you, she'll let you know."

With those wise words, I placed the necklace into his open hand. I said quietly to him, "Thank you Augustus, but no." I looked to Druella and Meredith for comfort with no avail. Druella was slightly flushed, the most passion I had seen out of her in all the years I had known her, staring angrily at Augustus. I could see Meredith's disappointment in her eyes from the loss of a beautiful necklace. Norma had gotten up, and clapped her hands behind me. Trying to break the ice she loudly exclaimed, "Class is starting soon, let's not be late ladies."

We left him at the table, alone in his loveless misery. The whole Slytherin class had seen the outburst. Perhaps even the other Houses too, but I was not paying attention. Thankfully Tom had been in the library, unable to see this horrible predicament of mine. But I had noticed while Druella had made her speech on proper dating etiquette, Cyngus was eying her with great pleasure.

I was not surprised. He had received a Howler, not a full week before Druella's outburst. The Great Hall was filled with the screams of his mother, Irma Black. Her voice yelled out, "Since your sister is taking her leisurely time finding a suitor, it is up to you to continue the name of Black and find yourself a wife as soon as possible! Walburga will be barren by the time she's engaged if she continues at this rate! You're uncontrollable brother has told me off-"

By this time, Alphard had stood up and yelled at the Howler, "Damn right!" much to the giggles of all the girls.

"-so that means you need to get going. I will not let the Black name die, especially with you!" Cygnus had been depressed ever since that time. It seemed that Mrs. Black was losing her control over her children one by one. Though it was embarrassing to say the least, he was a mummy's boy and did as he was told.

He followed his mother's and Druella's advice soon after the Rookwood scandal, sending Druella "anonymous" love letter – we all knew his handwriting – and she giddily read them aloud to us. We were excited for her, as all good friends should be. In my own right, I was joyful to be included in the group, despite the occasional cold shoulder from Meredith.

With everything behind us, today's Quidditch tournament was very important. It was Slytherin versus Hufflepuff. I, of course, wanted Hufflepuff to fail. However, it seemed certain to be an interesting game since Slytherin had to gain almost a whole new team this school year. Hufflepuff won the cup last year, but I believed that today's match would show Slytherin's their true potential. Although losing to both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff before, they still had a chance to win the cup.

Norma was geared and ready to cheer on her beau, Romule, who had become one of the new Beaters. The Selwyn brothers had been the previous two Beaters, but now only Indus remained. Romule was alright, but he would collide into Indus more often than not. I thought it was quite funny, but the rest of the Slytherins just groaned. They were too obsessed with the sport. Lovebirds Arthur Macnair and Carina Rosier graduated the year previous, leaving the Seeker position to Zilya Dolohov and a Chaser position to Orion Black. I was surprised that such a pretty boy like Orion would even think of joining the team, but his cousins probably forced him into it. They did make up the rest of the team. Meredith had been eying Zilya since Christmas, so this was her chance to show her support. Cyngus was in his third year of being the Chaser, and he was one of the best in the school, even Gryffindors had to admit it. Now that Druella had some stake in the game, she was interested in Quidditch for the first time ever. I was just happy to know that Augustus was the Keeper, so he wouldn't be cornering me today. Other than that, I had no one to cheer. Tom never came to any games; he probably thought it was a waste of time. But if he thought otherwise he would not be the Tom I loved.

I stood in the stands and watched as Indus and Romule walked out, followed by Alphard, Cygnus, and Orion, the three Chasers. After that, Augustus, the Keeper, and Zilya, the Seeker, exited from the Slytherin locker room. The crowd that was covered in green and silver roared, and I along with them. Indus, our captain, shook hands with the Hufflepuff captain, John McKenzie, who also was a Beater. And so the game began.

I was glad to be outside of the castle. My O.W.L.'s were coming up, and I knew if I studied any more for them, I'd be wasting my time. Anyways, good marks won't save your life or make things easier, so why try? Tom thought differently, always trying to outdo himself. Then again, he did have the N.E.W.T.'s to take soon, which were much harder.

I was startled by Norma sudden screams at the top of her lungs at Romule, "HIT THE DAMN BLUDGER, YOU FOOL!" She was quite the Quidditch fanatic. I laughed at her and teased her about the game and a certain Beater.

A rush of wind blew through our hair as Cygnus zoomed right by our faces. He caught the Quaffle and dipped down past the Hufflepuff Chasers. He threw it at Orion with the force of a giant. Poor Orion clumsily dropped it, and I could hear Cygnus curse at him. His thick black hair ruffled in the wind as he zoomed down below Orion to snatch it out of a Hufflepuff's hands and zigzagged through players towards the posts. Orion tried to keep up with him, yelling an apology. Cygnus still looked furious.

We girls laughed together over their folly, but Druella laughed the most. Cyngus must have heard, since he glanced our way. Even from the distance, we could tell he was blushing; Druella laughed even harder.

I wasn't sure if I felt jealous or if I felt pity towards my friends. I could be jealous over the fact that they could freely talk about their boy interests. Though Tom never told me I couldn't talk about my love for him, I knew that the other girls would find it foolish. They constantly teased me whenever I would run off to assist him. "What's he paying you?" Meredith usually asked. Not enough, is what I thought. I kept my real obsession a secret mainly because having the mystery about Tom between the girls was better than the truth. They probably thought we were fooling around, or more than that. It was better than them knowing that I barely touched him.

I could also pity them in knowing that they were forced into love. Despite what feelings they have with these boys at this moment, they are temperamental – this puppy love wouldn't last. If their parents approved, then they would have to get married. Five, ten, or twenty years from now, none of them will be happy. I remembered my mum talking about all of her friends' relationships dissolving down the drain, one way or another. Pureblood marriages never worked since most of them were based on blood compatibility, not true love. But I know that is what Tom and I have. We are meant to be, and we will be together always. I can put up with being an outsider, knowing I am the one better off in the future.

I cheered as loud as I could when I saw Orion make his first goal. "Took him long enough!" Norma yelled over clapping and whoops of the Slytherins. I excitedly nod my head in full agreement.

A man's voice from behind me broke our conversation, "How much is Slytherin ahead now?"

I turned around, and found myself face to face with Professor Dumbledore's amber beard. Suddenly, I knew it was no coincidence that he was over here with us, instead of with the faculty. He had tried to get a hold of me for a couple months now, cornering me after Transfiguration and the like. I was able to avoid him for the time being, but there was no getting away now.

"I believe we're ahead by 30 points, sir," I said calmly, hoping that the conversation wouldn't get away from the game at hand.

"Ah, very good! The young Orion Black seems to be doing well out there."

"For now he is; he started off terribly, I must admit," I told him loudly, since the crowd erupted in cheering over a great hit from Indus towards a Hufflepuff chaser. I wanted to keep our conversation quick and concise. Tom had warned me in private that Dumbledore might want to discuss our relationship. The last thing we needed was Dumbledore on our tails, investigating Tom. He had tried a couple years back, so Tom claimed, but Headmaster Dippet thought it was uncalled for.

At the same time, I was surprised to see Dumbledore here at the game. He had been nowhere on campus for the past week. His transfiguration classes were being taught by a substitute, Eileen Greengrass, who was a sweet lady but a tad out of touch with the students. Although I didn't want to give Dumbledore a reason to keep talking, I was mildly interested.

"Professor? Many of us, including myself, were curious to where you have been recently."

"Oh yes, that," Dumbledore replied, slightly unexcited. He seemed less than thrilled to talk about it, but answered me nonetheless. "I was on the continent fighting Grindelwald."

I gasped, and my eyes widened. "You're joking!"

"Oh, I'm afraid not, Miss Smith. We had a little duel and I defeated him. All I received for all my trouble was this wand." He showed me his newly earned wand. It looked to be fairly old, but nothing too special.

However, I was in shock that he defeated Grindelwald, one of the most feared and dark wizards of our times. Secretly, Tom told me he would become greater than Grindelwald, but I didn't want to hear about it. I loved Tom dearly, but the idea of him killing and hurting others always gave me a bad feeling. Though, I couldn't deny I wanted him to become great. I desperately wanted that power he so promised me, so I had to make sacrifices, my conscience one of them.

Dumbledore's story of defeating Grindelwald made me uncomfortable. I was nervous in my stomach, thinking he could easily do away with Tom if this was so.

I stayed quiet, but he continued forward with conversation. "I see you are with Miss Selwyn, but where perchance is young Tom Riddle?"

I knew the question would come, but I had been prepared. "I wouldn't be out here if my brain hadn't stuffed itself with knowledge preparing for my O.W.L.s, but Tom has infinite space in his so he is still in the library studying for his N.E.W.T.s. Studying is still required, I do believe." I had hoped I wasn't coming across too cheeky, but I wanted to let him know I was standing my ground.

Dumbledore smiled, but somberly, and without the usual twinkle in his eye. "And you believe correctly Eva. I just…worry about you."

"Worry about me? My health is fine, sir. I haven't been to the infirmary since first year."

"Oh yes, when you wouldn't eat."

"The food reminded me too much of my mother sir. I'm sure you'll understand."

"Yes, yes I do Miss Smith. I am in fact not worried about your health but your overall well being. Eva, is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

I had respected Dumbledore ever since I came to Hogwarts. He was a good professor and a kind gentleman. Although he and Tom were not on very good terms, I was not his enemy by far. Yet, I did not trust him enough to let him know anything further about myself.

Still, the information about his defeat of Grindelwald made me extremely nervous. I was awfully tempted to spill my secrets, from Tom's underground chamber to the meetings to my obsession with Tom. Perhaps if I told the professor now, it would simply deafen the blow of Tom Riddle's inevitable downfall. Were we not just children, playing some silly game at world domination?

No! I had to stop myself from even thinking those thoughts. If I told Dumbledore all of that, my life, everything I had known, would be gone. And I couldn't go through that again. I especially couldn't lose Tom. I would be lost in this world. Alone. No, this was my calling. I was destined to be with Tom.

"No professor. But thank you for asking. It's rare to find an instructor that really cares for the students."

Dumbledore simply nodded. "You are quite welcome. But remember Eva, if there is anything, anything at all that you wish to tell either me or Professor Dippet, please do not be afraid to come and see us. My last wish for you is for you to be hurt."

I quickly fought the half that wanted to burst out all my secrets. "Yes professor, I understand."

"Well then, I must get going back to my colleagues, or they will have think I went off and gotten lost again."

I nodded, unclenching my fists that had unconsciously tightened. I was happy to see him go, relieved almost. "Thank you again, professor. I will see you in Transfiguration tomorrow, yes?"

"Yes, indeed. I do not have to remind you to be prepared for more studying."

I laughed and smiled politely, "No professor. Goodbye."

And so Dumbledore disappeared in the crowd behind me. I looked back to the game but less interested. All I could think about was what I didn't say. Tom would be proud of me though, and that was something. I watched as Zilya finally caught the snitch. Slytherin had won by 230 points. That meant we were in second place, needing to beat Gryfindor for the final jab at the House Cup. The Slytherins were ecstatic with adrenaline as we poured into the castle, headed towards the party in the common room. Norma quietly asked me, "What was your talk with Dumbledore all about?"

I sighed, "It was nothing."

She shrugged and let me be. While the other girls went to find their love interests, I was left alone. I did not follow them to the common room. Instead I went to the library to go see Tom, with my heart heavy and my mind full of trouble over Dumbledore.


	6. June 3, 1947

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eva meets Tom after Hogwarts.

Hogwarts  
(1942-1947)

June 3, 1947

Here I was, wandering around the enormous Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, on my way to my late Aunt Hepzibah's will reading. I received the letter of her untimely murder while I was at Withers School, moving out my belongings. I had gone to the school the day after I left Hogwarts, knowing that I needed to start living independently. As I was shrinking my belongings so that I could properly carry them around, an owl greeted me at the window, delivering the surprising news.

But now I was here in the sprawling Ministry trying hard to find my destination. I was overcome by the attractive décor of the country's magical headquarters. The floors were made of beautifully polished marble and the ceilings had a stunning blue color to them. All around me witches and wizards were buzzing and getting back to their posts after their lunch break.

As I searched around grabbing my satchel close to me, I realized how lost I really was. Not just physically, but ever since I graduated from Hogwarts, I felt as lost as a first year. I was alone in the world, and it had hit me like never before. I almost wished I could be a first year again, starting the adventure over. I told myself I was now a fully secure woman and educated witch, but I felt like neither.

What was worst of all was that I had no Tom Riddle. He left me two years ago after he finished Hogwarts. During that whole time, he never once communicated with me. The last thing he said to me before he left was that he was going to apply for Professor Merrythought's position in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I knew how much he loved Hogwarts and how much I would have loved the idea that he would be my professor. However, Headmaster Dippet denied him, saying he needed more experience. I had never seen Tom so livid in my life. He didn't say a word more and simply left. I heard from other students that he was working at Borgin and Burkes, down in Diagon Alley. I never had been there myself during those two years, so I was not sure if the rumor was true. However, it did seem like the place where Tom would go to get "experience."

When he had left, I was not sure if I could survive the rest of my time at Hogwarts. For a good part of my sixth year, I was extremely depressed. I tried not to show it in front of my friends, but I believed they still saw how lonely I was.

After a while, I was able to find happiness again. I was having a good time with my peers, exploring the castle, and going down to Hogsmeade getting ourselves in trouble. Although there was a dull pain whenever I would see my classmates with their boyfriends, I knew that Tom would be in my future, somehow. He promised me.

But I had faltered in his promise. A little more than a year ago, I stopped believing that Tom would come back. He had not even written a letter to me, even though I had tried to get a hold of him. He kept in some contact with others but never me. I changed from being depressed to insulted and hurt. That was probably the main reason for why I finally allowed Augustus Rookwood to court me. It was fun, having someone love you the way you always wanted. Augustus was a sweet and nice boy, and he made me happy in his own way. But I couldn't help but continuously comparing my feelings for Augustus to my love with Tom. By my seventh year, I surprisingly found myself thinking about marriage with Augustus. But it was when I had caught him floundering around with Meredith Flint did I realize I had been a fool.

I awoke from my memories as people bumped and pushed into me trying to get back to their offices. It was as if I was invisible to them. I had never been to the Ministry of Magic before, so the entire task of finding the correct room was a bit daunting for me. I grabbed the letter telling me of my aunt's death. There were directions written on how to get to the Ministry and which room I needed, but not much more. I had already entered through one of their telephone boxes, above ground with the Muggles. Now I was in the center, staring at the overflowing, golden fountain. I checked my watch and the time was one o'clock. I started panicking realizing I was late. The will reading had started at twelve-thirty.

I shoved the letter back into my satchel and tried to catch someone, anyone, to ask them what level the courtrooms were.

"Sir? Ma'am? Hello?"

I spun around, seeing if I could get someone's attention. More and more people were filling the grand atrium. I could see the fireplaces lining the walls spitting out more people by the masses. And none of them would help me.

As I found myself spinning in circles, seeing the fountain for the third time, a surprisingly familiar face caught my eye. He was tall with dark, perfectly positioned hair, which he smoothed out while talking to an older wizard. No one in the world could deny that he was the most handsome man in the room. He was older than me, but not by much, and his face was expressing that he was less than thrilled to be there. It was Tom Marvolo Riddle.

I suddenly became very excited, forgetting all about the will reading. I called after him, but he didn't hear me. I pushed through the people, trying to get to him as quickly as I could. However, the closer I tried to get, the farther away he'd be. Soon, he was out of my eyesight. There I stood, in the middle of the Atrium with a pout. I knew it was immature of me, but he was so close. And now I felt he was gone, forever.

"Can I help you, dear?"

I looked up and I recognized the middle-aged witch. It was Eileen Greengrass, my old substitute professor. "Professor Greengrass! What are you doing here?"

The blond woman smiled and put her hand on my shoulder. "There's no need to call me 'professor.' And I work here. I'm part of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad." She paused and smiled at me, remember when we had last seen each other. "Dumbledore always seemed to know when I was on vacation and loved asking me to substitute. It was quite fun, though, teaching you young students. Of course, you're not a student any more are you?"

I smiled back courteously, "No I suppose not. But I do need some help. I've never been here before and I'm late to a will reading; do you think-"

"Say no more dear. I'll take you there right away."

By the time Eileen brought me to the small room, adjacent to one of the courts, it was almost one thirty. I had a dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach that I missed the meeting. However when I opened the door I saw about ten pairs of eyes on me. I could feel Eileen behind me give my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and she whispered, "Well, I'd best be going. Good luck, and have a good life dear." Then she patted my shoulder, and I heard her heels click away down the hall.

Though I tried to be as invisible as possible, my entrance had been seen by everyone. I saw my distant relatives, of whom I had met many years ago, in the chairs on the farthest side of the huge desk that was placed in the middle of the cramped room. They seemed far less than excited to see me. My other great aunt and uncle were there, along with their children and their children's children. I was the youngest in the room, however. Some of my mother's other cousins were also there. I had never met them before, but I had seen pictures so I could recognize them easily.

Though I rarely, if ever, associated with my family, any one could tell we were related. Almost all of us had the golden blond hair that defined the Smiths. I remember that my poor Aunt H had lost hers and wore a wig. When I heard about it I laughed, but now that I was older, I knew I would cry if my hair ever fell out. Another thing all Smiths had was a 'well-built' structure. I must have been the skinniest person in the room, next to the Junior Assistant who was there to read the will. Most of my relatives could barely fit in their chairs. I was tremendously grateful that I had received my father's thin frame.

I sat down in a chair that was the farthest from the rest and closest to the door, a habit I always had. Even so, I still heard them scoot their chairs farther away from me, as if I had some invisible contamination. I made sure to give them the impression that I was as pleased as them that I was invited. The Junior Assistant must have been almost done with the will, since he only held a few loose papers in his hands. He looked at me over his thick glasses and asked, "Are you Eva Smith?"

"Yes, I am. And I'm sorry I'm late."

The young man gave me a slightly encouraging smile and replied, "It's quite alright. We were just getting to your part of the will. Your family was debating over who should get it if you didn't show up. But you are here, so the matter is settled."

I wasn't sure if they man was trying shock me with his comment about my family, but it didn't work. That was what I had expected, actually.

"Ahem…'And to my great-niece, Eva Amora Smith, who is disowned from the Hufflepuff line, I give her Hokey, my house-elf and all of her possessions.'" The Assistant looked down from his glasses and stared at me, "However, since it was Hokey who poisoned Hepzibah, she will not be going with you, Ms. Smith. You can take her possessions if you like."

I heard the rest of the family whisper amongst each other and one of my aunts was trying to control a giggle. Oh yes, this was a bountiful inheritance. I get the house-elf's treasures. No one would want to fight over that trash. But I had heard many stories about house-elves keeping the most valuable possessions of their owners. No one suspected the house-elf.

"Can I look at them first and decide?"

The man pondered, but then brightened up. "Yes, I believe you may, if you don't mind waiting. I'll have its things delivered here shortly."

He explained a few final details to the rest of the family, but I ignored him for the most part. I sat back in my chair imagining what could be in Hokey's belongings. The worst thing that could happen was nothing but junk, and I would be as poor as I am now. The best thing that could happen was that the elf had stolen some priceless valuables and I would be able to live the rich life. As the Junior Assistant assisted with some disagreements between the uncles, I started imagining what I would get first with my vault of galleons.

Once I had completed creating my manor house in the countryside, I noticed that I was sitting in an empty room. Even the assistant was missing. I stood up from my chair, slightly worried that I had been left alone without having my inheritance sent to me. I opened the door I came through and peered down the hall. The Assistant was walking towards me. He caught my worried look and smiled at me. "Don't worry! I have the box with me as I speak."

I smiled back at him, reassured. I waited to hold the door open for him, and he entered with an average sized, standard issue box from the Ministry. To my surprise, he dumped its contents on the table. I squirmed in my mind, hoping that my priceless belonging did not break because of the Junior Assistant's carelessness.

I went over to the objects to investigate. There were a couple broken quills and an old, dirty candelabrum. I searched through more of that sort of junk until I come across a rather important looking box. It was finely crafted and could have fetched quite a price. I opened it, hoping my newfound fortune was inside.

To my great disappointment, it was painfully empty. Not even crumbs for a mouse. But there was an impression inside that looked like it could have fit some sort of cup with two handles on each side. Then, it hit me. I knew exactly what had been in here, and I felt my dream of galleons rise again. And if I did find what the original object was, I would be rolling in them.

I gently put rest of the junk back inside the box, but kept the case near me. I glanced up to the Junior Assistant and said, "I shall take this box… But I am curious: could anything of Hokey's have been misplaced since the murder."

He raised an eyebrow at me, acting as if he did not understand what I was getting at. "I'm sure that this is all of the items, if you are wondering if anything was missing."

I sighed. Perhaps I needed to give more information to him. "You see, when I was younger, I remember this case and there was always a beautiful gold cup inside it. My aunt never takes it out, so I hope you understand my inquiry on the matter." I kept my face as blank as possible, not letting him know I had lied a bit about actually seeing the cup.

He frowned, fully understanding my "inquiry." "If you suspect that one of our agents has somehow stolen it, you are badly mistaken." He reached into his robes and pulled out a short piece of parchment. "This is the record of what was taken at the scene of the crime." As I grabbed the sheet to examine and correlate all the items, he continued speaking. "I do not believe I need to mention that your aunt was murdered, hence missing items are not on the top list of the Ministry's concerns."

I looked up to him with cold eyes, not liking the rude undertones of his voice. "You said the elf killed her. Why would she murder her Mistress to steal a cup, especially if she was bound to be caught?"

"I'm not the elf, why ask me? Of all scenarios, she might have hid it to keep it out of Smith hands. Are you quite through with your questions?"

I handed back the parchment after double-checking that everything was accounted for. However, I was not done with my questions. I was ready to leave the room, but definitely not the Ministry. There was more going on afoot than I assumed. "I would like to talk to one of the wizards that was at the scene."

He became blustered, and I realized I was pushing his buttons for the day. "I'm afraid I cannot help you with that, miss. Now I need to lock the room, so please take your belongings."

I sniffed the air, very unhappy with his unhelpfulness. I grabbed the engraved box, put it away in my satchel, and walked past him into the hallway. I went onwards to find my way back to the Atrium, knowing that all journeys began from there.

I was willing to break a couple of laws and find whoever had searched Hepzibah's house to find that cup. The reasoning was that it was no ordinary cup. A long time ago, Aunt H had shown my mother her greatest claim of fame: Helga Hufflepuff's cup. My mother told me about it, and said it was quite exquisite. It was solid gold with wrought handles and a badger inlaid masterfully onto the side. That cup was invaluable to Hogwarts, thus it would carry a hefty price tag. First thing was first: I needed to find where that cup had gone to.

I made it out to the Atrium, mostly by luck since I knew neither up nor down in the Ministry. It was starkly different from when I had first arrived. The only noise seemed to be my heels clicking on the floor and the bubbling fountain off in the center. There were no wizards or witches to help me unfortunately. I wandered around until I found a map of the Ministry, hoping it could at least lead me to the right section.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man flit across the room towards the lift. I watched him close, and I recognized him right as the doors were about to shut. "Peter!" I shouted at him, hoping it was not too late for him to hear me. Unfortunately, I heard the whoosh of the lift take Peter Avery, a former Slytherin, to his destination. I decided to go towards the lift, hoping I could at least find the level I was looking for since a perfect guide had just left me in the dust.

To my surprise, as the doors opened with the returned elevator, there was Peter. "Eva!" he said with surprise. "I wasn't sure who 'ad called to me, but I'm shocked as ever to see you 'ere! You must 'ave jus' came from 'Ogwarts, no?"

I smiled and answered yes. I had not seen Peter in a couple years now, but he looked and acted just the same. He was a short man, slightly round, but he had a friendly face. Peter and Tom were in the same year, and I had heard he got a job here at the Ministry. Luck was on my side today, and I hoped it would take me just a little farther with Avery. I do believe he was a part of our "club" at Hogwarts, but I only assumed him by the size of one of the members. We never had said anything about those nights to each other and probably never would. It was only a silent bond that held us together.

"So, what in the world are you doing 'ere Miss Smith?"

"Actually, I'm so glad I ran into you. I'm wanting to find a house elf that belonged to my recently passed aunt. I believe the elf is being kept here for the time being, awaiting her trial. The ministry has accused her of the murder of my aunt."

"Oh," his face went grim. "You're talking abou' Hokey eh? Yeah, I know where she's being kept. I dunno if you want to go and see her though. She's a bit mad if you ask me."

Just to know that Peter had access to her made me all the more thrilled. "Oh please," I grabbed his shoulder lightly, "please let me see her. I have to ask her something, something gravely important."

He sighed, knowing the rules he would break if he let me but then also weighing the real harm it would do. I needed to push him a little further to my side of the argument. "I might have information about the murder. Real, solid evidence. And I need Hokey to confirm my suspicions, of which you will know full when once I'm done speaking with her."

Peter looked at me, extremely suspicious. I tried my best to make my face as serious as possible. "Eva…" he started slowly, "if you 'ave any information, you 'ad best tell me now."

I stared unblinkingly at Peter, hiding with my best ability that I was completely bluffing about the so-callled evidence she held. I puffed, "It might be nothing! And I don't want to be causing any alarm if it can be cleared up with a few questions. Please, I promise I'll be quick and that no one will know you did this favor for me. I'll owe you one, I swear it by Merlin. Please, Peter."

He rubbed his chin, still painfully indecisive. Once more he looked up into my eyes, and he gave in. Peter sighed, "Alrigh' then. Come on, follow me. But let's make this quick, yeah? I have other duties I need to get done."

Before he turned to go back into the lift, I hugged him. It was quick, but I could tell it took him quite off guard. He blushed a bit then turned silently into the lift and I followed. We descended far down into the earth, farther than I remembered for the floor of the will reading. As we got off I was partially blind by how dark the halls were. Peter had to use his wand as a torch; I made sure to stay as close as possible to him, not knowing exactly what sort of things made its workplace here.

I tried to make light conversation with Peter, as I could see this would be a bit of a journey. "So what exactly is this place? Do you work here?"

I could see his shoulders shrug in the dim light. "Sort of. I manage the detainees; make sure they are checked in, taken care of, and stay no longer than they 'ave ta. These are the 'olding cells for those pu' on trial. We won' be sendin' innocents to Azkaban 'less we're sure of i'. You're lucky ya ran inta me; no' many people have access to this floor."

I pondered my luck silently, as I counted the doors on both the left and right of me. We walked further down the hall, seemingly endless until he stopped in front of door with a bronze plaque having the numbers "342" engraved into it. I recalled after exiting the lift we had started with number 300. I assumed Peter must have the amount of footsteps ingrained in his memory, because even with his wand, the numbers were barely distinguishable. As we stood in front of it, I moved the bag to my other shoulder, as it was getting a bit heavy. Peter pulled out a huge ring of keys from his coat pocket, easily able to open fifty different locks. To my amazement, he found the right key in seconds, opened the lock, and we stepped into the room.

I groaned softly and covered my eyes quickly. The room was extremely bright compared to the hallway; I felt as if the sun had blasted into my eyes. "Ah, sorry 'bou that!" Peter quickly apologized, temporarily forgetting the huge adjustment. "I forgot to warn you abou' the ligh' change. Just keep 'em closed for a while longer, and you'll adjus'. Is so that the 'guests' 'ere can't escape too quickly if they manage to brea' ou'."

I tried to give him an understanding smile, but from the pain in my head and light imprint on the inside of my eyelids it probably was a grimace. After blinking slowly for a couple of seconds, I was able to adjust somewhat. The room was small, no bigger than a Muggle WC in above-ground London. A small decrepit bed was on the wall opposite the door, and an even smaller house elf was there holding her head in her hands. Hokey, unfortunately, seemed no different from when I had seen her many, many years ago. Her grey hair was still ragged, looking as if she had gotten into a fight with a pair of scissors, and her pale skin was wrinkled with years of age.

I took one step towards her, and my heel clicked the stone floor. The sound woke her from whatever state she was in, and her big green eyes stared into mine. I was a bit shocked at how terribly wrinkled and bloodshot she appeared. Her face had definitely taken a turn for the worse since our last encounter, and I questioned myself whether this was because of recent circumstances. I turned my head to Peter and whispered, "Is she being properly taken care of?"

Peter seemed a little indignant. I suppose he had the right: I was insulting his particular branch of the Ministry. "You 'ave to talk to 'er. You'll see."

I turned back to Hokey, pathetic creature. Within another step I was right in front of her; I let myself crouch down to her level. Her head was again in her hands, and I placed a light hand on her shoulder, trying to avoid her dirty hair. I wasn't exactly sure what she could be carrying, and I wasn't going to risk it. She did not move under my touch.

"Hokey?" I questioned lightly, as if to a child, "I'm Hepzibah's great-niece. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions."

"Oh," she groaned in her small, high-pitched voice. It was cracked with age and weariness. "Hepzibah's gone. Hokey did it. Hokey was the one who poisoned her. But Hokey loved her Mistress; she wouldn't do something like this. But Hokey remembers: it was her. It was definitely Hokey – no one else."

I turned my head to frown at Peter. His look said "I told you so." I looked again to the murder-confessing house elf. "Well, Hokey, I'm not upset at you for killing her. That's not why I'm here. I wanted to ask you a few questions about some of Hebizbah's belongings."

Her big green eyes found my stare once again. She took a long rattled breath and exclaimed, "You're not upset for killing Mistress? Not in the least bit?"

I kneaded my brow. Why would she be interested in my disinterest? "No I particularly don't care. What I do care about is what happened to Hepzibah's cup? The gold cup," I reached into my bag and pulled out the wooden box, "that belongs in this case: where is it?"

Hokey slowly turned her gaze to the box. It seemed like she was thinking, but her stare became increasingly agitated. I was startled when, in the blink of an eye, her head swiveled to stare back at me. "Hokey does not recall the cup or the box. All Hokey remembers is killing her Mistress. And you are not upset." I was beginning to be thoroughly disturbed at the circumstances surrounding my late aunt and her house elf. My aunt had little tolerance for the dumb, and she surely would have not let such a dense creature work under her. Something had changed this poor creature, enough to commit murder. The question was, did this change have something to do with my missing tea cup?

I sighed and tried once more to glean anything out of her. "The cup. It's golden, and Hepzibah never allows anyone to see it, except for you when you polish it once a year. Do you remember that? Do you remember polishing it this year? Hokey, the box was found in your belongings. You were the last to take this box. Where is the cup?"

Her green eyes suddenly became glossy as she stared at me further, not bothering to answer any of my questions. Her little wrinkled hand reached out, seemingly for my hair. I backed away, and she let her hand fall into nothingness. "Rebecca. Rebecca you are not upset at me?"

Those poor creature was beyond help, obviously thinking I was my mother. But Hokey definitely knew I was not my mother. Although I had never been in close contact with my aunt, I had gone to her residence, many years ago after my mother had died. Hokey was there, and although she was old, her mind had been clear and sharp. She remembered me from when I was a baby, and she firmly knew that Rebecca was dead. The Hokey sitting on the bed in front of me probably didn't even know where she was.

I internally cursed for hitting a dead end. I was so positive I would be able to get something out of her.

I stood up fully and turned towards Peter and the door. "It's hopeless," I told him, and he opened the door for me, giving a last glance at the retched elf.

Peter was kind enough to escort me back up to the Atrium. I checked my watch, seeing it was already three-thirty. I needed to go by the Leaky Cauldron to get a room for tonight, and perhaps the rest of the week until I found some answers for my future.

As I waved Peter off, heading towards the phone booth to take me up to the streets of London, I saw my old transfigurations professor, Dumbledore, headed towards him. We felt miles apart in the large Atrium. I hesitated to call out a hello, but I was in a hurry. I had seen professor Dumbledore enough times in my life, and, although he could be a great help, he seemed to pry his long nose into matters that were never his business. I got inside the booth, just in time to see Peter look surprised at Dumbldore's words and then see him point at me; and with a "woosh" I had left their sight.

In my room at the Leaky Cauldron, I pondered my experience in the Ministry. Hokey was in a bigger wreck than I had previously imagined. Something bigger than just my aunt's death was going on here. Honestly, it didn't really matter what actually happened as long as I got that cup. Hokey seemed to have murdered her, but was she fully sane when she attempted the act? Many questions were left unsolved, but I had one goal for now.

After I entered the Leaky Cauldron, I located the bartender and asked for a room. As he escorted me upstairs, I happened to glance around the pub. A few older men were playing wizard's chess, an aged witch was having an intimate conversation with a drunken wizard, and from the dark corner I saw a pair of lonely eyes staring out at me. As I walked up the stairs, I couldn't help myself from staring back; they were too far in the corner for me to recognize or identify exactly who owned that pair of eyes. Yet I was not afraid, but much overcome with curiousness.

Once I was properly settled in my room and given the key, I began to immediately take out all of my belongings out of the satchel and unshrink them forgetting about the pair of eyes downstairs. Druella swore she had a cousin who had shrunk all of her clothes into one massive trunk to take abroad; a week later they exploded because the charm couldn't handle the basic mass of the items over a certain time. Ever since that story, I hated keeping things shrunk for longer than a couple hours.

I smiled when I set my eyes on my properly-sized memory book yet again. It was my old and constant friend. Tonight I would have to write my whole theory of what has gone on in the events of today. I gently placed it on the nightstand, and let my hand glide on the engraved name on the cover. I took a deep breath: everything was unpacked – now onto Diagon Alley.

It was a little after four by the time I marched down the stairs to go out back to the brick wall, the entrance to the market floor. I had quickly searched the pub behind me; alas, the eyes had disappeared.

I had never actually been to Diagon Alley since I always had my books and supplies mailed to me for school. No one was about to let a poor orphaned child run amuck at the marketplace.

Although I did have a mission, I took my time, enjoying the sights and smells around me. I looked through all the stores to see if any was selling cups or specialty drinking goblets. Surprisingly, I barely saw anyone I knew. The wizarding world was so much bigger than just Hogwarts, which was the only home I had grown to know. Unfortunately, though I desired to buy much, I had very little spending money. I realized tonight I would have nothing for dinner since I spent most of what I had on my room. I barely had two Knuts to rub together to keep me warm. With Hepizbah's death, I was officially and permanently cut off from any money (or charity be as it may) of the Smiths. My own mother's money, given to me in her will, was still not accessible for some reason; a matter I would have to clear up tomorrow at Gringotts.

After finishing my thorough search of the main street, I decided I'd take my chances down Knockturn Alley. Though it was well shadowed and smelled peculiar, I was not frightened. Living in the dungeons allowed me a thick skin when it came to scary-looking places. Hell, being with Tom for a couple years made me tough. I was proud that very little could scare me now. I didn't have to walk more than a minute before I saw the sign of Borgin and Burkes. My heart jumped a little: wasn't this where Tom worked?

I prayed that he would be in there, even though I had sworn I just saw him hours ago at the Ministry. But who knows? Maybe I was just hallucinating and Tom really hadn't been there.

The door jingled as I entered. The room was dark and not very well kept. An older man popped up behind the register and gave me a dirty look. "What do you want?" he rasped.

I became shy and felt stupid for being in here, secretly looking for Tom. What if he didn't work here anymore? Maybe I looked like I was stalking him? What if he was here, but he didn't want to see me?

"Well? What do you want?"

"I…I was…er…Does Tom Riddle work here?"

He gave a gruff scoff and told me, "You just missed Tom. He quit yesterday. One of my best workers I've had in a while… and he just up and quits."

I sighed and hung my head slightly. "Oh," I said dejectedly. But then my mind went back to the cup, and I decided to ask the man if he had seen or heard of any golden cups.

He thought it over and got a strange look in his eye. "Golden cup, you say. Well, we have plenty of those. Come over here, dear." Although he called me dear, like Eileen had, the tone was the complete opposite of hers.

I reluctantly followed him, and he took me to an old cabinet. Behind the glass doors I could seen all different sorts of cups, teacups goblets, and glasses. I knew none of them were Helga Hufflepuff's. The store clerk still tried to convince me to buy one. From the looks of the place, they were probably cursed where you had to continually drink from them or something. After my fifth decline, I walked out of the store.

I continued my search until the sun had started setting. I walked very far and wide, yet there was not even a clue to the whereabouts of Helga Hufflepuff's invaluable cup. I finally had to admit to myself that the cup was not here in Diagon Alley.

As I walked back to my room, I felt myself boiled down to two simple options: continue looking for the cup or start looking for Tom Riddle. It seemed a little silly, but I had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. So Tom had quit just yesterday, but I saw him at the Ministry today; that meant he was probably still somewhere in the vicinity. And I did miss him so much. I would be overjoyed to find him. Who knows what might happen between the two of us? Perhaps he missed me too.

Or maybe, I interrupted myself, Tom was headed back to Hogwarts. Dippet had required he gain some experience. Maybe he believed he had enough experience to go back and ask for the post again. I knew how much he wanted to stay at Hogwarts; he always talked to me about it when we were students there.

As I laid my head on the pillow, I thought to myself that maybe I should visit Hogwarts again, and see if Tom was there or not. The cup was definitely an afterthought to the chance of seeing Tom Riddle again.

I woke up late while it was still dark to a light tap on my window. I blurrily stumbled out of bed to go and stop the noise. A small barn owl was patiently tapping on the pane with a little note tied around his leg. I spoke to it groggily, still half asleep. "Okay, okay, little bird. I'm right here."

I opened the window, and he flew in. I held out my hand and he landed, sticking his foot out. Once I pulled off the note, the owl flew away. I frowned at the bird and read the note:

"Meet me tonight outside of your hotel. Don't get any ideas: I'm just keeping my promise, so you keep yours."

I read it over, maybe three times. I could barely hold in my joy. This… this had to have been from Tom. I read the letter over once more. A smile crawled on my face and wouldn't go away. He never gave any specific time, but I knew it was midnight. It was always midnight. And I was thrilled. He always exceeded my expectations, and I knew I had chosen the right man to follow.

Looking at my watch, I saw that it was fifteen minutes till. I changed out of my night robes into my nicer day ones. I wasn't about to meet Tom in my pajamas, that was for sure. Who knew what we were going to do?

I walked outside of the pub on the street and wrapped my cloak tight around my body. It was colder than I had expected. The whole city seemed empty. I looked up and down the streets but saw no one. I heard a slight "hoot" and looked in front of me. The same little owl was sitting on the ground with another note at his leg. I smiled and laughed at the owl. He was cutely impatient, and I found him more amusing now that I was in a good mood. I bent over and asked, "Is this for me, little one?"

He hooted back with an indignant "yes" to his voice. I laughed again, fully of giddiness knowing that I was going to see Tom soon. Again, once I took the note, the little bird flew off.

This one read:

"Turn right and walk down two city blocks."

I was eager to do as he ordered and turned to my right. I quickened my pace against the cold, hoping somehow I would get warmer if I walked faster. Nothing seemed to change, except that I reached my destination in a couple minutes, quicker than I had expected.

Once I reached the intersection, I suddenly felt a presence: one that I could only assume was Tom Riddle's. Across from me, a dark figure was sitting alone on a bench, waiting. He was staring at me the same way the man from the pub had earlier today. The figure stood up and crossed the street towards me. He must have extinguished the lamp posts, for the only light was from the full moon. He looked the same since I had seen him at the Ministry. Now that I had a better look, I could see that his face had matured since Hogwarts; of course, that made him even better looking than before.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had my arms around Tom Riddle in a hug. Once I did realize it, I quickly let go. He definitely had grown taller in the two years since I last saw him. Tom was a full head taller than I was. His frame had gotten slightly larger too. He was no longer the thin teenager I had known and fell in love with. He was a grown young man, who must have been twenty by now. I wasn't sure if I still loved him with the same passion, but I felt my heart twinge for him and I didn't want to leave his side.

After I had let go of him, I could tell he was surprised by my action. Nevertheless, he politely smiled at me and said, "I'm glad you came, Eva."

I smiled back, brimming with happiness. "How…how did you find me?"

"I figured you would look for me after you finished Hogwarts, and I was working at Borgin and Burkes for a time, so…here we are." I frowned humorously at him, knowing this wasn't the full truth. He had been the one watching me at the pub and probably noticed me at the Ministry today. Perhaps he didn't know I had found out that he quit his job with Borgin and Burkes. Whatever the case may be, it was nice to know that he remembered I finished Hogwarts this year and that he had actively sought me out. I wouldn't question him on the matter further, knowing he would give me no more information.

I glanced at his fidgeting hands, twiddling his wand around; an annoying habit he seemed to keep whenever he had a conversation. It made me realize how much I had missed him in the past two years.

"I've been desperate see you." I locked eyes with him in the moonlight. I felt like a little girl again, looking up at my knight in shining armor. A part of me wished that he wouldn't be so difficult and that I could hold onto him forever. Then somehow he would declare his undying love for me and we would kiss again. After, he wouldn't run away and ignore me. We would just be together forever.

But this was Tom, and this was the real world.

Tom eyed the street that I had come from and pointed with his wand, "Let's head back to your room. We might find it more comfortable than this cold, deserted street, don't you agree?"

Tom Riddle wanting to come to my room? I didn't hear this everyday and I would be an fool to decline. I beamed back up at him, "Of course." I instinctively went to grab his hand, as I had done quite often to Augustus when we were together. Thankfully I realized what I was doing and brought my hand back down to my side, hopefully before Tom noticed.

We walked together, our body heat making us warmer than we had been before. Tom was twiddling his wand the entire time. We were awkwardly silent, so I broke the ice first.

"So what were you doing at the Ministry today? You didn't look very excited."

He laughed a little bitterly. "I wasn't."

I chuckled a bit with him, remembering his bored face. Then we continued walking in quiet, letting the sound of our shoes reverberate through the empty streets. I wanted him to tell me why he was there, but I guess I would have to ask him to get any sort of answer. "What were you doing there?"

"I could ask the same for you," he said playfully.

I huffed a bit at him. He was not going to change subjects on me. "I was there for a will reading. My aunt just died. But it doesn't matter, I didn't like her anyways. The bigger question is, what were you doing there?"

I saw him open his mouth for a response, but instead he closed up and walked swiftly in front of me. We had arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, and Tom had managed to open the door for me before I realized what was going on. Why was Tom being so gentlemanly and civilized? Well, Tom was always charming, but only if he wanted his way on something. But what would he want to sway me on? I was always and completely his to control. This was unlike him, and I began to be nervous. As we were greeted by the warm interior of the empty pub, I heard Tom laugh from behind me. The door shut and he walked towards the stairs. I kept frowning at him for his behavior was far too… normal.

He grinned at me from the stairs, "Does it bother you that you have no idea what I'm up to?"

Still frowning, I answered, "Yes… It actually does."

His laughter echoed through the silent inn as he climbed up the stairs; I had to smile watching him so full of energy at a ridiculous hour of the night. I had missed him so dearly; I hoped that we could spend much time together in the future.

Once I had made it to the second landing, I found him leaning against the stair banister. "Which is your room?" he inquired.

I shot one eyebrow up at him, curious. "You don't know? You're not a very good stalker then." He followed me to the door, and as we entered I remembered our conversation from before. He closed the door behind him, and I asked again why he was at the Ministry.

"Well," he sighed, walking towards the bed, "if you want to know so badly, I was offered the position of Minster of Magic."

I couldn't believe my ears. "You're lying!"

"Yes, actually," he said back, rather calmly as he lied down on my bed, with his shoes still on. He propped himself up with his hands behind his head. He acted as if he was the king of a castle. I tried to keep myself from rolling my eyes for how vain he could be. I could tell, though, he felt insulted by my comment. But I just couldn't believe it.

"Did you take the job?" still not wholeheartedly agreeing with his version of the story.

He looked at me, insulted again. "No, of course not."

I put my hands on my hips, staring him down. "Why would you turn down Minister of Magic? You're mad, Tom Riddle!"

He took a long breathy sigh, then ran a free hand through his dark hair. "Eva, if you must know, I didn't turn down the official title of 'Minister.' You're quite daft to believe that they'd throw such a high position at a man barely out of Hogwarts with no ministry training."

My shoulders slumped and my hands dropped from my waist. I was upset I had fallen for his lie. Tom continued, sitting up properly in my bed and locking his beautiful grey eyes with mine.

"Mr. Hoggsborn, the Minister's secretary, was showing me around the facility and offered me a pretty luxurious position as his lackey. I could read his mind soon after we had met. He knew if I took the position, it would be a sip of butterbeer for me to overcome the ministry with my charm. But I don't want to be Minister. A building isn't held up by the roof. It's held up by the foundation. With that job, I wouldn't have any foundation; no real power, no real support. Then where would I have been? Overthrown in a day and lose a lifetime's work. And I doubt you would have enjoyed a desk job."

I glanced at him skeptically. "Me?" I questioned.

He broke his eye contact with me, laughed, and shook his head. He stood up and walked towards me. I hesitated away from him, extremely confused by this far-more-friendly Tom than the cold brooding one I had known in my life at Hogwarts.

"Eva Smith," he said to me, standing erect in front of me, "You are my most trusted servant. Who else would I have work with me at the Ministry? Macnair? Lestrange? Rookwood? None of them can work magic like you."

I was silent, in a loss for words. Such a great compliment from such a great man. Who was I to deserve this?

He could easily read my mind; I never denied him access. He grabbed my chin, appraising me gently. "Eva, I came to find you because I want you to join me. I want you to come with me… tonight in fact."

I blinked, mainly because I couldn't quite accept the fact that he wanted just me to be with him. Was this how the other witches felt when they were proposed to? My heart was fluttering, and I had to tell my emotional side to keep calm. Tom wasn't asking me to be his wife, he was asking for me to be his partner. I still felt like I had to question his true motives:

"So…so you still want me to be…with you?"

"If you're asking whether I still want you working for me, the answer is yes. We made a promise, remember?"

"Yes, I remember. But I thought you were done with me… when you left Hogwarts."

He chuckled and walked past me towards the window, overlooking the dark streets. "Oh, no. On the contrary, I've barely begun with you." He paused, and he opened up the window to let a cool breeze roll in. I hadn't noticed how stuffy the room had gotten, probably because I was too distracted by Tom.

Suddenly, the little messenger owl flew inside the room past me and made himself comfortable on a chair's arm in the corner.

"You're friend?" I questioned Tom.

He stared at the owl and frowned slightly. "Not quite. He was a big nuisance. I think I'll kill him so we leave no trace of us."

I was shocked and jumped in between him and the owl, even though Tom didn't move his wand an inch. "No! Don't! I've been wanting an owl but I can't afford one. And he's so darling… please don't kill him. Let me keep him, I'll make sure he won't bother you."

"He was goddamned difficult, putting those notes on him. Damn bugger." He looked around me, shooting daggers at the owl. The creature, on the other hand, was fast asleep, or purposely not caring for our conversation. He didn't look much bigger than my forearm, and I did want an owl of my own.

Tom left the windowsill and strolled towards my luggage. While he fiddled with the leather straps, he muttered, "Keep it, for all I care. But I'll kill it if he gets in my way."

I smiled at him, though he wasn't looking. "Thank you. I appreciate it, and if he does bother you I'll get rid of him."

"Yes, well…" he trailed off as he opened up my trunk, and started rummaging through.

Slightly surprised by his forward nature, I had to walk over to where he was to try and shut the lid. "Er, is this necessary?"

He looked up at me frankly, his cold mask back on his face. "What? Eva you're my servant. There are no secrets between myself and you. I have the right to everything you have. Those are the term's you have accepted."

I took a deep breath and stared at him, trying not to show my worry or think on a certain subject I would rather have him be oblivious to. "No secrets," I repeated quietly.

"Yes," Tom said dryly, opening up the lid of my trunk again. He dug through shirts and clothes and whatever I had buried in there. "So we might as well have an understanding that I know that you and Rookwood have been close for the past couple of years. I wouldn't want those thoughts hanging around us during our trip and elongated stay to… our destination."

I felt a pit in my stomach. "Oh… so you know."

He rolled his eyes and slammed the lid of the chest. His face was still cold as it turned on me, his eyes devoid of emotion. This was the Tom I was used to, but he was no more disliked than the previous Tom. "I knew about it from the very beginning. And I know that you don't love him. I know that you will come with me tonight and that is all that matters."

I felt I had to make it clear to Tom. "He meant nothing to me," I stated unblinkingly.

He simply shrugged and started to play with his wand. "As I have said: I know." He took a deep breath then spread his arms out. "Pack up Eva! We're leaving now. I've wasted enough time talking to you already."

I sighed a little dejectedly, hoping to avoid this whole "leaving tonight" ordeal. "But… I paid for this room with the last of my money. And I just unpacked. We can't stay here for another night?"

Before I had time to finish, I could see a flame of anger bursting in Tom. He pointed his wand at me, accusingly. "I don't care how poor, or hungry, or tired you are. All you need to feel is the utmost joy that I came and found you and chose you to come with me. Instead you want to fight me and go your own way. Well, if crumbs on the floor is what you want while being kicked around by wizards stupider and lesser than you, please be my guest! I honestly thought you were smarter than this. When I say 'get packed' and 'we're leaving' you should do as your told."

He seethed out the last sentence, and I felt greatly embarrassed for even opening my mouth to complain to him. I wondered if this was how it was going to be. But then I opened up my mind. I was thrilled to be here with Tom and to be personally chosen by him. I was given a great honor, and I should have had more respect.

I lowered my head, "I'm sorry Tom."

"Don't call me that," he barked. "When you're apologizing like this, when you've insulted the core of me, you finish with 'my lord'."

I kept my head lowered, "I'm sorry, my lord."

I saw that he folded his hands across his chest. "Very well. Now pack."

I began shrinking things down again to fit into my satchel, mindful of making sure nothing will explode later. Tom and I were completely silent the whole time. I almost forgot my memory book sitting on the nightstand, but shrunk it at the last moment. I transfigured an oil lamp into a small cage for the little owl, who I had mentally named "Hoot".

When I was finished I looked at Tom, ready as ever. I smiled at him as he handed me a broom, a Whirlwind 5, from where he got it I had no idea. His face was still stone cold. He held another broom in his other hand, an Aeroglider 2, and then mounted it. I threw the satchel's strap around my shoulder and placed the cage hook at the end of my raised Whirlwind. I followed Tom out the window, and watched my bedroom window, golden from the lamplight, grow smaller as we rose higher and higher into the moonlight. My adventure with Tom was just beginning, and I was filled with a real happiness and hope for my future for the first time in my life, despite the falling out Tom and I were currently in. Just flying in the open air, a breeze through my hair and Tom at my side, I was at peace.


	7. June 6, 1947

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Eva's first day in Albania.

Albania  
(1947-1957)

June 6, 1947

We had flown for two days - Tom and I alternating between sleep and awake. Lack of proper sleep was a type of torture I never endured until now. By the time we started to descend, the sun was barely peeking behind the mountains. I let Hoot out of his cage to fly with us occasionally but now he was fast asleep in his cage. By our trajectory and judging by the landscape we covered these past days, we were in southern Europe, near the Mediterranean Sea. From up in the clouds I could drink in the lush landscape. The sea was a breathtaking blue-green, nothing like England's water, and I could see the white foam crash up on the rocky, raggedy cliffs. Upon the plateau were fields of green, breaking apart the forest. The dark green forest covered the mountain range like a warm blanket. Farther south of the plateau was a small creek that snaked down towards the ocean. But I could not see the whole land as there was an ocean of morning fog covering much of the ground. As we flew closer, I could make out a cabin near the edge of one of the cliffs on an open flat land.

Finally, we touched solid ground. I fell into the dewy grass, thankful for a foundation that I could rest upon. If it had been my decision, I would have fall asleep right then and there. But it was not my decision.

"Welcome to your new home, Eva."

Even though I knew from the moment I saw the house that this was where we were going to stay, hearing the words come from his mouth made it suddenly unreal. "So we…we are going to be living together?" I said while I woke up the owl from his sleep. He fluttered his eyes yet did not seem pleased with the new area. I left the cage open; he would wake up when he wanted to.

He squinted as the sun rose above than the mountain tops and into his eyes. His mouth scowled, "Do you believe acting naive has a positive effect on me? It has rather the opposite. Of course we are going to be living together. Do me a kind favor of shutting your mouth when you have a stupid question. Otherwise our time here will be shorter than you desire."

The bite in his speech led me to believe he was as tired as I. My head hung low as I took his words to heart. I suppose I better get used to his attitude if I was to make this place our home.

Our home. I had to let those words sink in. Tom Marvolo Riddle and I are sharing a home, with no one else to bother us. Five years ago, I would have given anything and everything I had to live with Tom. Now I can, and he doesn't have to hide his feelings and neither do I. Suddenly, I beamed with happiness upon the realization of our secluded situation.

He indicated that we should walk closer to the cabin, which was looking more and more like a shack. It was a typical square house with an A-frame red shingled roof. Plants had grown their way up the wood planked walls. I saw one window on the western side and only one front door. Parts of the walls and roof were falling apart, and mold was clinging to the edges of the roof. Cobwebs covered most every corner and crevice. As we made our way closer to the front door, I noticed a smaller cabin close to the woods on the western side ten yards away from the main house. To the south of it was what could only be the outhouse, roughly fifteen yards away from us. The roof of the closer shack was black and the walls were in much worse state than the large one, probably infested. It had no windows that I could see of, and only one door that was falling off its hinges.

"As you can see," Tom continued, "The place is in some need of fixing. We will be staying here for quite a while, so I will need you to make the best of what you have. I require you to make the homes in livable condition as well as make us self-sustaining."

I was rather overwhelmed. Had he thought I was a carpenter, maid, and farmer? I could make good potion and perform quite a number of spells, but what was in front of me seemed almost impossible. I wouldn't be surprised if he gave me a deadline by tonight.

Tom turned around and stared at me, his grey eyes meeting my blue ones. "If you can do it by tonight, that would be acceptable."

I absolutely could no contain my groan. I was exhausted and now I had to do magic I was unfamiliar with as well as possible manual labor?

He put his hand on my shoulder trying to appear supportive. "Eva, don't worry so much. You won't be doing everything alone. We are in this together." I could see it was a ploy for him to cheer me up. He probably assumed if I was a happy worker I would be a better worker. I was very happy, but happiness did not overcome my tiredness.

"Come on; let's see what we are working with." Tom opened the larger cabin door. A loud creak startled the mice and rats within and they came bustling out underneath us. I stifled a scream. Hoot, however, had woken up and grabbed his breakfast from among the running rodents. We walked in the dark cabin and my suspicions were confirmed. It was simply an empty house with four walls and a dirt floor – nothing more.

At once, I envisioned where a kitchen should go: directly to the left of the door along the wall with the window. The living place should be on right and a table should be in the middle of the room. I couldn't figure out where the stove should go. It needed to be near the kitchen to cook but also close to the living place for heat. The beds also needed to be close to the stove so we wouldn't get cold at night. I guess it would have to go in the middle of the room and the table would be to the left of the door. Maybe we could fashion a window into the wall so there would be somewhere pleasant to look at while we ate? I walked towards all four corners of the house, estimating in my head what I could do. I convinced myself there was room for a bathroom in the west back corner behind the kitchen if we put up some walls.

"Your ideas sound well suited. Let's get to work."

I turned around to Tom. "Really? I'm not sure where to start or even what to do?"

Tom put his hand to his face and mused as he surveyed the tiny home. "We should do foundational work first. I'll fell some trees and create the bathroom walls. Why don't you see if you can put a few more windows in?" I nodded and grinned at him because he was really being sincere about us becoming partners. My heart was filled with love for him, and I happily went to work on the windows.

Sometime later when the sun was at its highest in the sky our shack had promisingly turned into a rather cozy home. I had made a couple of bug-away potions and charmed the walls to make a space for two windows on the east wall. Tom had indeed manipulated a couple forest trees into planks to create our sectioned bathroom. He was also able to create outgoing "pipes" that lead to the ocean. As for incoming water, we would have to charm our transfigured buckets to bring back fresh water from the creek I had seen earlier.

I transfigured two dead branches into brooms and had them on the task of sweeping the cobwebs away and making floors clean. A few of my handkerchiefs I had brought were turned into sturdy cloths, and I sent them to scrub every wall, nook, and cranny clean. It took a while for the spells to work exactly (occasionally the cloths were scrubbing the grass outside), but in the end everything was clean.

After Tom had built the bathroom, he had left to work on the smaller shack. He claimed that it would be his "personal study." He didn't ask for my help and, since I was already overwhelmed with this house, I didn't give it. But by noon my exhaustion had dissipated and I wanted to find some way to get the house furnished. And find some food since our rations had run out last night.

I walked into the bright sunlight with the sea breeze ruffling through my knee length dress. It was a wonderful country, wherever it was Tom had taken me. I took a deep breath of the salty air and closed my eyes.

"Enjoying yourself?" Tom called from the small cabin. I opened my eyes in a flash and turned to see him leaning against the wall twirling his wand in his hand. He gave a half smile and came closer to me.

"I've done all you asked my lord. Yet I'm terribly hungry. Should we go find some food?"

He stopped walking and looked up to the sky in thought. "I believe there was a village a few miles down the mountainside. We should find some food to steal for the time being. As well the house needs some furniture…and beds-"

"And a stove I'm afraid. Perhaps a sink? And a tub?" I was getting carried away.

Tom frowned at me for interrupting him. "Yes," he said coldly, "You can bring those items back if you want. As I was saying, the village should have everything we need on a short term, but it would be best for you to establish ourselves here. I don't want any contact with Muggles for any reason. I regret having to go into the village but we are desperate."

"On that note," I added, "Where exactly are we?"

"We," he said, spreading out his hands to convey the land to me, "are in Albania. Far away enough to be unwatched by the Ministry, but close enough to continue my dealings. I've made sure that no one can track us here, Muggle or wizard. I hope that you are unbothered by our location."

Albania. I had heard of it, but never imagined it to be this beautiful. From what I remembered, it was somewhere near Greece, across from Italy. However, this Albania was not beautiful just because of its landscape, but because Tom and I were here, alone. "No, it's wonderful."

We walked for an hour until finally we saw rooftops. Hiding in the forest, Tom and I agreed that we should go for the pink hued house on the farthest edge of the village. It was a very small town. Most of all the houses were of the same built: two stories with a white wash walls and red roofs. The pink house though was more of a farm house with chicken coops in the back and it looked promising for finding food.

We watched the house for about ten minutes to see if there was any sign of life. He heard a few voices upstairs but we didn't see anyone. Tom decided that he would go inside to find right items to transfigure for our stove, sink, and tub while I was going to steal some food and furniture. We would be shrinking what we found and putting it into the bags we brought.

Slowly we crouched towards the door so if anyone was casually looking out the window, we would be unseen. Neither of us said a word to one another. Tom went in first and found his way up the stairs quietly. I went into the kitchen and found a huge bowl of potatoes and onions. I shrunk and stored about half of what was there. I stole other spices, oil, and flour from within their cabinets. There were a few chairs and a table behind me. I wanted to take it all but I didn't have the heart to leave the poor villagers without anything. I just took two chairs instead. Luckily I found a couple of wooden boxes that I figured I could transfigure into table. The next room was a bedroom, but I had no choice but to take the whole bed and a dresser. This house was turning up bare for transfiguration materials. I told myself I would try to bring something back in exchange for stealing their furniture in the coming months.

Suddenly, I heard a loud commotion from upstairs. There was a shout, a crash of glass breaking, and thumping on the ceiling. I ran into the kitchen and pulled open a drawer closest to me. I tossed the silverware and utensils into my bag haphazardly without having time to shrink them. Then I threw open the cabinet doors and pulled out as many bowls and plates as I could manage. A hand-made white tablecloth was folded on in the back left. I grabbed it too, knowing I definitely couldn't sew. The banging continued upstairs and I circled around in the kitchen, trying to see if there was anything else I could take in the coming moments.

The room was barren of items for my immediate need so I rushed to the door. At the same moment Tom ran down the stairs so fast it seemed like he made it to the first floor with three long jumps. I had the door open by the time he grabbed my arm. We hurdled into the backyard, towards the woods. Before we were in the forest, Tom pulled out his wand at a chicken innocently pecking at the ground. "Stupify!" he yelled. The chicken never knew what had happened.

I grabbed it by its feet as we ran, happy to know that we would be having fresh meat for lunch and dinner. As I was getting the chicken, I looked back to the house. A large, bearded Muggle had run down the stairs and was coming out the door. The middle aged man had a furious look upon his face and a long gun in his hands. There was a dark stain on his shirt on his left arm and blood rushing down his hands. The gun had been smeared with red. He shouted angrily in Albanian and fired a shot towards us. By then we had made it to the forest and the bullet imbedded itself in a tree on our right. Tom simply laughed as we continued to run up the mountainside.

When we finally stopped to catch our breath, I noticed there was blood coming down Tom's temples. "You've-you've been hurt!" I exclaimed through labored breath.

Tom was breathing rather heavily too and touched felt his head where the warm blood was dripping down. His hands were also cut and bleeding. He was surprised but simply muttered, "Bloody barbaric Muggles. The old man surprised me – he must have heard us come in. He hid behind me while I investigated the upstairs. Then I stunned the wife and the child when I entered their bedroom. It probably left him in shock why he didn't attack me instantly. I had already gotten a few items by the time he threw some vase or pot at me. Bastard knocked the wand out of my hand so we had a tussle. I was able to stab him with one of the shards. That gave me time to get my wand." He paused and looked up into the sky which was blocked by multitudes of green leaves. "I should have just killed everyone."

I didn't know what to say at first. Then I slowly came closer to him and sighed, "Thank Merlin you are alright. Let's get back soon so we can eat and I can clean you up." I hesitantly grabbed his arm to show my concern. It was likely that he would pull away from my touch, but to my surprise he allowed it. I looked him in the eye and saw his brows furrowed slightly.

"You are genuinely worried about me aren't you?" Tom questioned, honestly puzzled.

I gently grabbed his injured hand into mine. My chest was heavy with emotion. Of course I was worried. I didn't want Tom to be hurt, maimed, broken, dead – none of it. Seeing this look in his face made me so terribly upset for him. It was as if no one had ever truly cared before whether he was whole or not. Growing up, I had my mother to love me and care for me; Tom didn't have anyone. This must be why he doesn't understand how I can follow him to the ends of the earth. It is because I love him.

I placed another hand softly on top of his and paused not knowing how to explain my emotions. "Tom, of course-"

He pulled back his hand and snarled. "Don't call me Tom." And he marched away, up the mountain towards our home.

We were starving by the time we arrived. As we marched through the woods, on several occasions I heard both of our stomach angrily growl for food. Still, before anything was to be made we had to transfigure our stove.

It took Tom and I almost half an hour more to turn the clock he had stolen into a workable stove. It was not typical looking stove. The clock had been made out of lacquered wood, so of course we had to cover it with a fireproof charm of multiple layers. The door was the face of the old clock and the grills inside where the former hands. The chimney took some work. It was made from the levers and wheels and other metals from inside the clock, so it took on a brassy metallic color. However we could not stop it from reverberating at the top of each hour. But who else had a built in timer in their stove?

Earlier this morning, while Tom had used his spells to have the trees split into planks for our bathroom walls, he had also charmed a few more trees to make firewood. I used one block of wood and some pinecones as tender to start the fire. A few other cuts of wood I turned into a counter space for the kitchen. I transfigured a spare bowl into a sink and one of my dresses into a curtain to cover the space under the kitchen counter. Two chairs were on the eastern part of the room next to the window and I was able to create a table out of the spare boxes I had stolen. The farmer's markings which were on the original box were now ingrained on the table top.

While the chicken was baking, I arranged the bed into the back corner. It was a tight squeeze with the new bathroom walls. I wasn't sure of our sleeping arrangements yet, but I felt a little giddy thinking that we might be sharing a bed. I enlarged the nightstand so it was a formal dresser. I decided to place Hoot's cage on top of the dresser until I decided on a better place. He was still missing, but probably enjoying the forest's darkness.I unpacked my things into it until I heard the stove buzz indicating it had been an hour since I put the chicken in. I put my dress over my hands to shield them as I pulled the golden chicken out of the stove. The potatoes and onions had cooked quite nicely and I was pleased. I hadn't cooked in a while so I was preparing for a far worse dinner. However we were both so hungry we could have eating the firewood.

As I made my way outside to the other cabin, where Tom was working (he had already set up our bathroom with a fine tub) I jumped to hear a huge crash from the roof. I ran outside to see if something had fallen on the roof but there was nothing. I went on to find Tom to tell him about luncheon and the sound from inside the house. As I met him, I saw Hoot soaring in the sky. He must have warmed up to the new location. Tom regarded me as hearing things but right before we stepped over the threshold we heard a scream from above.

Immediately Tom fetched his Aeroglider 2 and flew up to attic. He waved his wand and a plank of wood flew off the front of the house. He crawled in and suddenly yelled out a spell I never heard before. Half a minute later he emerged, dusty from head to foot with hair disheveled but holding an ogre-like creature upside-down by the ankle.

"No wonder this shack was abandoned. It seemed a ghoul had taken up residence."

The ghoul was grey and very terrible looking. Tom held it out as far away as possible since it was trying to claw at him with his free hands. It made awful moaning and hissing sounds. My heart held pity for the disgusting thing.

"I want peace and quiet while I'm here, so I'm going to have to get rid of you," Tom told the ghoul.

He then sat on his broom and flew near the side of the cliff. I watched as he simply flung it off into the abyss.

I didn't expect him kill him so coldly, but I tried not to show my surprise. Well, it was just a ghoul. I should get so worked up about such things. But I couldn't shake the thought that it was also a living thing.

I tried to let the whole thing dissolve in my mind, which it did a few moments later when I heard my stomach cry out for food. We went back into the house in silence and sat down to eat. Tom had cleaned his head wound but I noticed that his hands were still scratched. Though the chicken looked delicious, I had forgotten to clean it out so much of its organs had been cooked as well. It was also very dry. But despite it, we ate everything on our plates. When we had finished, I could see realization dawning over Tom that I was not up to his expectations when it came to cooking. He kept his thoughts silent.

Now that my stomach was full, I was hit with a wall of exhaustion. Without a word to Tom, I unconsciously walked over the bed and fell upon it. Within moments I had passed out.

When I opened my eyes, I was met with a still darkness. There was no light coming from the windows but I could hear birds chirping in the trees far away. I sat up and a blanket dropped off of me onto the floor. I folded it and laid it upon the bed, not remembering falling asleep with it. My eyes adjusted to the dark and I noticed Tom was not here. I put my coat on, stuffing my wand in a bag I slung on my shoulder, and went out to look for Tom. The grass was wet with dew and I could see that the sky was beginning to brighten in preparation for the coming day. The ocean waves crashing behind me and the breeze in my hair made me so peaceful. I couldn't remember being this happy in quite some time.

As I opened the door silently of Tom's study (he had fixed it yesterday) I found him fallen asleep in his chair with his head on the desk. He was in a peaceful sleep – his body slowly rising and falling to his breath. I treasured the moment since I had never seen him sleep before. One arm was propping his head while the other had fallen. I noticed his wand on the ground from where he must have dropped. I slowly went in to pick it up. The room was still dirty and quite dark. I noticed candles on the table. They had been burning for a while with a pool of wax around their bases. Quills and parchment was blown through the room like a hurricane. As I was placing his wand on the table, I saw his face twitch. I froze, afraid that he would misunderstand what I was doing. However, he just turned his head to the other side and mumbled something in his sleep. I wish I could have known what he said, but it was unintelligible.

Once I left, everything was different shades of blue and the sky was lightening. I decided to take this time to explore around more and gather enough water for the day. As I wandered around the forest I was pleasantly surprised to find a well not too far off. It would be much faster to charm the buckets to bring water from this well than from the creek half a mile away. I cast a spell for the bucket to bring water to the house so I could use it to wash myself later.

Continuing on, I wandered northeast towards to the trail we had made yesterday that led to the village. Fear never entered my mind here like it would have in the Forbidden Forest back at Hogwarts. The scariest thing in this forest would most likely be bowtruckles. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that we needed a few more supplies and a lot more food from the village. Unfortunately I would have to go back to the same one, but I have enough good sense to choose a different house. As I walked along the craggy mountain, the trees became more spaced with a small meadow. The sun finally rose but it hadn't emerged over the mountain range. I was so focused on Tom yesterday that I didn't even admire the views. The sunlight had filled the valley with beautiful morning hues. I could see the red roofs of the village from here, and beyond I saw fields of gold and green. By the time I made it to the base of the mountain and the village was close, the sun was fully visible. I had found a good amount of edible mushrooms while I had walked and saved them in my bag.

Once the village, and the pink house, was in sight, I headed northwest to the other side of town. Again, the sleepy village was quiet. After walking behind rows and rows of houses, I finally came upon a decent sized garden. They had cucumbers, eggplants, and heads of lettuce. I took just enough to get by for the next week. On top of it, I decided to pull a whole onion and tomato plant up to grow back at the cabin. As I walked back home, I noticed a few orange and lemon trees, which I plucked plenty fruit from.

Before I disappeared into the woods, I noticed a chicken and a rooster had escaped from their coop and were nibbling on insects from the ground. If I took them, I could have eggs and maybe make more chickens to eat. After a moment's consideration, I was convinced and stunned them both. As I was gathering their feet together in my hands I checked the area for onlookers.

A young girl, in her early teens, had spotted me.

She dropped her dirty laundry and simply stared at me. I smiled quickly, grabbed the chickens, and ran off. As I ran, I realized I should have erased her memory. That, however, was always a very hard spell for me to do. It was not because I couldn't do it, but I believed that losing your memory was worse than death. It took away the only things that make you…you.

I felt giddy as I ran through the forest and up the mountain, carrying my chickens. I laughed, imagining seeing myself. I felt like a mad woman. Once I reached the place where the forest spread out, I searched for the trail Tom and I had made yesterday. Catching my breath, I noticed to the far west that there were some walnut trees. I picked off handfuls of nuts and held them in my skirt along with the chickens. I wandered past the mushrooms I had seen earlier and filled up my skirt with handfuls more of them. We needed as much food as possible. I blindly continued to follow the path until I had to stop dead with confusion.

I was back at the clearing. I frowned and thought I was going mad. I didn't remember turning around, but maybe I did when I collected the walnuts. I turned around and went down the trail again, shaking my head.

Ten minutes later I was back at the road. I was going in circles. Then I realized.

"Oh no…"

Yesterday, Tom must have put up a blockade spell around the shack which deterred Muggles and wizards alike. I sighed and cursed him in my mind. Did he not realize that I needed to get in and out as well?

I called out, "Lord.. Lord Voldemort?" but no one answered. I wouldn't risk using "Tom" since that seemed to be a sore point at the moment.

I groaned and sat down with my bag, chickens, mushrooms, and walnuts in an unhappy mood. I had no idea how long I would be here. Tom would eventually go looking for me, but the key word was eventually. Tom thought about himself most, if not all the time, so I wouldn't be surprised if I was here till the next day. I looked up at the trees and started to watch the clouds slowly drift by. My stomach rumbled and I began cracking open walnuts and eating them.

Thinking back to where I was only a few days ago, I never expected to be living with Tom like this. It was pleasant that we were on good terms; but knowing Tom like I do, I didn't expect us to stay that way. I only hoped our relationship could blossom into a loving one rather than a master and his servant. I cracked open another walnut and savored the ripeness in my mouth. Yet that was what I was here for. I agreed to come as his servant – not his lover. Maybe I could change that; he could get to know the real me and come to love me as I did him. I was lovable… wasn't I?

I remembered how he looked at me yesterday after our narrow escape. His eyes showed an emotion I rarely saw: confusion. He could never understand human relationships. It was as if he was in a foreign land unable to speak the language. Did he want me here with him to teach him? No, that wouldn't be like him. Yet my mind suddenly was brought back to my fifteenth birthday. I've analyzed that night over and over and I still can't come to a conclusion about his true feelings for me.

I sighed again and said to myself, "What do you want, Tom Riddle?"

I heard a crunch beyond me and looked upside-down to see where it came from. Though I was expecting a wild animal, I saw the handsome face of the man who I loved.

"So this is where you are?"

I grabbed my dress with my mushrooms, walnuts, and still unconscious chickens. Graciously, Tom helped me up. I bowed as much as I could with my hands full. "Thank you for finding me my lord."

He smirked but his eyes were still tired. I saw dried blood on his injured temple. I was sure that he didn't sleep as well as I did. He then turned around, indicating I should follow. Our feet crunched along the underbrush and dead leaves. Thinking back, I didn't mind calling him "my lord" as much as I thought. I'd much rather call him Tom if it was up to me. He, however, took great pleasure in being the master and having this title, even though it was all words. But his pleasure was mine. "I hadn't known you put up a blockade spell when I went out this morning. I couldn't get back. But I've only been waiting for a little while."

He kept walking and put a hand through his hair. "My mistake. Just follow me and I'll take you home."

When we arrived I laid the chickens on the grass gently. After creating a short term barrier spell around them, I headed inside to make lunch. However I was greeted by a pleasant smell. "Mm! What did you do while I was gone?" I asked as I placed my bag and the contents from my dress onto the table. Tom didn't reply and went over to the pot boiling upon the stove and stirred a wooden spoon. I walked over and saw a thick mushroom soup, almost ready to eat.

I smiled at Tom, who was next to me moving the pot off the stove. "I didn't know you could cook."

He turned around and said sarcastically, "I didn't know you couldn't."

I gave him a "touché" sort of look, but then apologized. "I'm sorry. I haven't made my own food in such a long time…" but I became distracted by the room. Giving it a proper look, I saw that it had transformed further. A couch sat between the dresser and the table, across from the kitchen. One of my newly created windows brought in light above it. The stove was a yard and half in front of it, making it perfect for warming up to. My eyes were intrigued by a beautifully woven rug in front of the couch. I looked back at Tom, and he pointed behind me to the table. I turned around and saw a chandelier above the table with fresh candles. My eyes swept across the room and I realized he had placed candles everywhere.

"Thank you my lord. This shack is finally looking like a home." He nodded, as if he wasn't listening to me.

While Tom spooned out his mushroom soup into bowls, I noticed books laying on the dresser. I didn't remember packing any books other than my photos album. I casually looked through the titles and saw they were from the same romanic series I used to read in the library with Tom. Did he bring these for me?

We sat at the table sitting across from one another. The sun was high above us by now and the house seemed darker without light shining through the open windows. I could hear the chickens clucking and roosting now that they were awake. At first we ate silently interrupted occasionally by the clinking of our spoons and the sounds of eating. I was rather hungry and the soup wasn't bad either. I looked back at Tom every other bite, but he stared at his meal. He looked to be eating simply to eat. He took no pleasure in it, like I did. He didn't even finish.

After we had both finished eating I asked him about the recent additions. He replied, "They were part of what I took yesterday, only better. But I brought the candles with me."

"And the books?" I flashed a grin at him but before he could speak I continued, "Thank you again my lord. You've been wonderful the whole time. I'm so very happy."

He studied me and my thoughts, wanting to know if I was genuine. He came to the conclusion that I was and answered, "Yes, well I doubt you will have time to read them all but I wanted to give you options.

"That was very kind of you, my lord." I ate a spoonful of the delicious soup. "And if you don't mind my asking, how long are we staying here?"

Tom didn't touch his half-filled bowl. He began to play with his wand and looked at me in the face. "I'm not entirely sure. As long as it takes, I reason."

"As long as what takes?"

"You'll find out soon enough." His face was impossible to read and I couldn't figure out if he was hiding something or not. I supposed there was a greater mission out here in Albania rather than trying to have Tom fall in love with me. I looked at my empty bowl and frowned. I still wanted some more.

"Are-are you going to finish that?" I hesitantly asked as I pointed to his soup. Tom looked down on his bowl and slid it towards me. As I started to eat his, I thanked my father for his thinness because I'm not sure how I keep such a good figure with my huge appetite.

Tom laughed at me saying, "If you keep eating like that, I'm going to have to acquire a bigger bed."

I didn't expect him to say that so I snorted, almost choking on a mushroom. I calmed myself down enough to swallow and playfully demanded, "You take that back!"

He laughed at me more, but then said calmly, "Lord Voldemort takes nothing back."

My face scrunched up as I tried to think of a good reply, but nothing came up. All I could say was, "Oh, he doesn't, does he?"

"No." And Tom smiled, knowing he had won. I didn't want the talking to stop. I was facing the kitchen and could see the sun start to head over to the west. Suddenly I realized I would need to make some curtains. It seemed that my dress collection would become smaller and smaller as time went on.

"Do you remember that time when Professor Binns died?" I recalled, trying to change the subject. Tom nodded. "They said he just fell asleep in the faculty lounge and never woke up. I was scared stiff when he floated into the room."

He smirked a little, "I could imagine. That was probably the most interesting thing that ever happened in that class."

"You're right with that. I could barely stand history. Really, I couldn't stand any classes, especially after you left.

His smirk grew wider. "That's not what I heard. I was told you became top of your class, even offered to be Head Girl."

"Yes," I rolled my eyes thinking about it, "but I didn't want it. I would have been stuck with Augustus again. I didn't want to have anything to do with him. Professor Slughorn was very upset with me for a while because it would have been the first time in a couple hundred years that there was a Slytherin Head Boy and Girl."

"So he wasn't courting you at that time?"

"Professor Slughorn?"

Tom frowned and said, "Don't be stupid."

"Oh, Rookwood? No...I found him locking lips with Meredith Flint the first night of seventh year." I tried to look away, for fear of him. I felt like I had been disloyal to him. Then again, Tom had never courted me, so I don't know what I was on about.

"I know you slept with him."

"What?" I exclaimed, dropping my spoon in the empty bowl.

Tom didn't reply, but I could feel him in my mind. It was the first time I truly tried to block him, and he could tell. However, I was no match mentally against him. He had found the truth.

Tom blinked and licked his lips. "I bring it up because it seemed to have affected you. Like I said before we left, there are no secrets between us. I simply wanted you to know… that I know. And I couldn't care less what you do with your body."

I couldn't help but give him a dark look. For the first time in my life, I felt violated by Tom. Why does he care? If he knew, he could have just left it alone. I was seething, but I daren't look at him. I bit my lip fighting the urge to yell at him and throw the two empty soup bowls. If he hadn't abandoned me, I wouldn't have been with Augustus. I did what any normal person would do when someone shows love and affection for them.

I took a deep breath, while I recalled the one night with Rookwood. I didn't even think of Augustus while we were together. All my thoughts were still on Tom. Anger was washed away with sadness. I unclenched my fists and picked up the bowls to take to the sink.

Tom acted oblivious to my emotions. "I also heard that Cygnus Black was marrying Druella Rosier."

It was frustrating hearing Tom change the subject since he was the one that brought it up, but I could play along. "Yes, I was invited to their wedding. It's in a couple months." I let the bowls clatter into the sink while I walked to the door to fetch the bucket of well water.

As I reentered, he continued talking. "The Blacks are good Purebloods. It's too bad they have that habit of intermarrying with each other. They all have an impish temper because of that."

"It's simple," I answered back as casually as I could while scrubbing the dishes, "why they do that. Purebloods are running out of people to marry. You know we're all related to each other somehow."

"We?" Tom turned around in his chair and looked at me mildly amused. "In this house, there's no point lying to each other. You know as well as I do that we aren't related to anyone." Then he stood up and stood next to me, leaning against the counter. Although I didn't look at him, I could feel his eyes watching me dry. We stayed silent.

Once I finished Tom walked past me towards the door and outside the pasture of green. He beckoned me over, and I grudgingly followed him. Tom strolled towards the forest and spread his arms out, "This is the reason we are here in Albania. I am looking for a diadem, a tiara of some sorts, and it's hidden in one of these trees. Whenever I am gone or if I have nothing planned for you, Eva, you will look through every hollow until you find it." He turned around to catch my eye.

"Don't look too forlorn. I'll help…every so often…like now."

I thought the whole thing was ridiculous. My hands stuck to my hips and my feet were glued to the grass. I looked at him incredulously. Trying to find a diadem in a forest like this? That would take months and months of searching.

Tom walked over to the nearest tree. He circled it then raised his wand. A red ribbon emerged from his wand and wrapped around the tree.

"This," he gestured towards the band, "Is what you make when there is nothing in the tree. When you find the diadem, come find me. "

I nodded slowly, still unable to accept that I would have to search every tree in this forest for a crown. "What's the incantation for the red mark?"

"It's a nonverbal spell, 'Rutilus Carmen.'

There was a pause. A gust of sea wind ran through my hair and down my dress making me shiver. We could both see the wind run through the long grass until it was far into the mountainside. To find this diadem was why he brought me, I realized disheartened. I wasn't going to be his housemaid and lover – I was going to be his field worker. None the less, I agreed to his conditions and I had nothing else going for me in life. Perhaps I could use the exercise, I thought dejectedly.

"Well," I said, "let's get started then."

We did get started but never finished. We looked until the sun was a distant memory over the horizon. We must have searched hundreds of trees. My legs were heavy from walking, and I could count on my body being sore tomorrow. It was pitch black by the time we made it back to our cabins. Both Tom and I had our wands lit to find the front door. I could hear the chickens clucking in anxiety, probably thinking we were wild predators. As Tom entered and began to light the candles, I went to reassure the chickens and set up a few more protective spells. I didn't know what else to do since I had never taken care of a chicken before.

After we ate a quick potato and eggplant sauté, I was ready for bed. As I emerged from the bathroom in my nightgown. Tom, sitting at the table with his head in a book, called me over. As I got closer, I saw that he was scribbling something on the parchment in front of him.

"You called, Lord Voldemort?"

Tom glanced up from his work, and then swiftly stood up. He smiled politely and handed me the parchment. "Look."

On it, there was a drawing of a skull with a demonic looking snake crawling out of it. It appeared sickeningly real. But I was pleasantly surprised by Tom's artistry. "What is it?"

"I call it the 'Dark Mark' and it will be known throughout the land." He grinned at me ominously. "And you, Eva Smith, will have the honor of being the first to wear it."

"Wear it?" I was slightly confused. I didn't want to seem foolish, but was I going to copy it onto my clothes or something else?

"Here, let me show you." He gently pulled my right arm out and rolled up my sleeve. He slowly twisted my wrist so that my pearly white underarm skin shone. I became slightly worried when he placed his wand on it. I wanted to pull my arm away, but I knew I had to trust Tom. Even before he spoke I could sense that the next spell would be painful. Anything from Tom was going to hurt; and I knew that I would have to numb myself it its pain eventually. "Morsmordre Corpus," he hissed.

I watched breathless awe as an invisible pen scratched into my skin the same exact picture that was on the parchment. I bit my lip and tried to hold back tears. My knees bent a little, not expecting that much pain, but I tried my best not to move.

After it was done, we both appreciated it in silence. The mark was throbbing and blood was trickling down the cuts. Yet his handiwork was admirable. It was beautiful in its own disturbing way. "Does it do anything?" I asked as I moved my arm in the candlelight to see it from different angles.

"Yes, you'll be able to summon either myself or others who have it. So far, you are the first. Right now, it's just an outline, but I'm still working on it. But…" he paused to look at me and smiled half mad, "It looks fantastic."

Tom slid one finger over the fresh pattern on my arm smudging the blood onto the skin, and I secretly savored his touch. Then he grabbed me hard by the shoulders and fixed his eyes on me. Then he told me slowly and making sure I understood every word, "This isn't like those stupid meetings at Hogwarts. This is much more. You, Eva Smith, are the first real Death Eater."


	8. July 3, 1947

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Eva go to meet the vampires.

Albania  
(1947-1957)

July 3, 1947

The sun was setting as I finishing feeding the chickens. I had acquired a second chicken during my last trip in the village. No one saw me, since I came in the dead of night this time. However, there were plenty of new dogs I had to cast a sleeping spell upon. It seemed as if all the village knew of the intruders and were going to do their best to protect themselves. I had started calling the mother hens Elizabeth and Mary, after the Muggle queens of England. The rooster I called Henry because he had more than one wife not unlike the Muggle king Henry VIII. Elizabeth had laid fertile eggs not long after I took them in. Her chicks had hatched not a few days ago and were peeping about. I was excited because it meant by fall Tom and I will be having chicken dinner.

Elizabeth and Mary hopped up into their coop, which Tom and I had made for them. The chicks continued to peep and chatter while working on picking up left over grain. Henry had already had his fill and was exploring the grasses near the forest. I heard Hoot fly above me and I looked for him in the sky. Wings outstretched flew above me with a rainbow hued sky as his backdrop. A gleaming pearl in the heavens was already giving off its glow. This night was the first night of the full moon. I was excited because, on account of the moon, Tom and I were going out for our first meetings.

Tom hadn't told me exactly who we were going to visit, but I could get a clue. If Tom wants me to wear garlic and fast for a week so I look lean, we were obviously going to see vampires. I had never met a vampire before, but I was always interested in them at Hogwarts. I supposed that Tom was trying to recruit them into his world domination scheme. They did seem like good candidates, since they killed enemies and created allies in one swift bite.

I was very excited to go and felt honored that Tom was going to take me.

"Are you ready?" Tom asked, sneaking up on me.

I grabbed my chest and twirled to see him, "Oh my goodness Tom! You scared me half to death."

He looked at me perturbed and doubtful. His handsome face was lit by the last gleams of the sun. "What is there to be scared of?"

"Nothing…I guess. What were you saying?"

"I said, 'Are you ready?'" Tom repeated slowly and not at all pleasant.

"Oh, yes, I'm almost done. Let me just go inside and freshen up." I hauled the bag of chicken feed, also stolen, into my arms and walked to the house. As I made my way inside the candle lit home, I heard Tom sigh and mutter, "...scared of…ridiculous.."

Once inside, I ran to the bathroom to prepared myself as fast as I could. This would be the first time in a month that I would leave our seaside shack. I decide that I should wear somewhat impressive clothes, so I changed into my nicer robes. The evening was already a bit nippy so I wore my coat and gloves too. Along with the chicken feed I had also acquired a mirror from my nightime escapades. It was a blessed relief to finally groom myself appropriately. I saw that my hair held their golden curls and looked as thick as ever. However, I was rather pale since I had been fasting during daylight hours for a week or so. Sure, Tom let me eat after dark, but I was always dead hungry. When he wasn't looking, I'd steal some fruit. However, I definitely appeared unappetizing enough to keep the vampires from wanting to bite me.

I went outside and saw Tom staring up into the blackening sky with his wand in his right hand and the Aeroglider 2 in his left. Usually we could see the stars, but tonights moon was bright and lit up the valley. The peaks of the mountains were almost as visible as they were by daylight, and the forests were twinkling in the soft pale light. The ocean shone back an imperfect reflection of the white globe. A cold breeze rushed by us, and I hugged my broom to my chest. I could almost smell the magic in the air. Tom noticed me and turned around to hand me a small garlic necklace. "Here," he said, and shoved it in my hand.

I looked at him quizzically, since his necklace was absent. "Are you not going to wear one?"

"I don't need one. You're the one who looks like they have more blood. The last thing I need to happen is you to turn into a vampire."

I mused and said, "Hmm, that might be interesting."

He didn't laugh. He just stared at me highly annoyed. Tom also was wearing his coat and robes. We decided to leave our hats at home since flying would only knock them off anyways. His black hair was combed perfectly, but he had not shaved in a few days so a thin mustache and beard was growing around his mouth. He was so beautiful to look at even his new facial hair didn't detract from it. "It's not funny. Now let's go."

I rolled my eyes at him. Occasionally Tom could be in a playful mood. We might have a good time now and then. But mostly he was very serious, like now for instance.

I'd rather him playful.

As we flew above the trees, I took a deep breath full of the earthy forest air. It smelled fresh compared to the garlic around my neck. I heard, what I assumed to be, Hoot screech a goodbye as we left. As I eyed Tom fidgeting to my left, I recalled his dislike for flying with a broom. The only reason, I was told, that we were flying to the vampires was because it was too dangerous to Apparate such distances. If we visit again, I'm sure we will Apparate. But not knowing exactly where we were going, it would be quite dangerous our first time.

I, personally, loved flying. The wind through my hair, the sensation of being weightless in the air, being able to do things you couldn't on the ground - all of it made me very happy. It was just my luck to fall in love with someone who hated the whole idea of it.

During our journey from England to Albania, he commented on me riding side-saddle. He warned me that I could fall off easier. I laughed at him back then, thinking that his warning was a sign of caring. Now that I thought about it, he probably didn't want to lose his most trusted servant by having her skull smashed in. After I laughed, I told him that it was more comfortable for me this way. He let it be.

As we flew higher in our ascent our silence continued. The clouds appeared heavenly, drinking up the moonlight. If only Tom could be more... well fun. I daydreamed of myself zooming up far ahead and teasingly racing him. In my dream, Tom would follow me, determined not to be outdone by Eva Smith. Then he would catch up with me and we would laugh, perhaps even kiss.

But it was all a dream, as simple as that. I saw the real Tom Riddle, confident as ever, now flying in front of me. If I were to race him, he would just yell at me and tell me that I didn't know where I was going. There would be no playful chase; just another fight. Then I would be on bad terms with him and he would wonder why he kept me.

I rolled my eyes yet again. It was something of habit nowadays. It was my response to when life wasn't the way I wanted. I wouldn't fight it. I'd just sit, watch, and roll.

I glanced at Tom to make sure I had pulled back far enough from him. At Hogwarts I would always play around on my broom. I probably would have joined the Quidditch team, if it wasn't for all those Death Eaters meetings and for Tom. He rarely went outside with me, too stuck in his books, so he never saw me on a broom much. Whenever he did see me doing tricks, he would lose his composure. In Tom's mind, if you doing anything on a broom that wasn't sitting you were doing something dangerous.

I grabbed my wand and spun it around in my hair to make a bun. That was something else Tom also despised. He had always told me, "It's not a playing-thing Eva! You'll lose your wand that way, and then what will you be?"

I'd still be human, Tom. Something that you are, although you won't admit it.

Making sure that he wasn't about to turn around any time soon, I lied down on my broom slowly allowing my head to lie on the broom bristles. Then I balanced my feet on the handle.

I had done this plenty of times when I was younger, with Mother supervising. By the time Hogwarts came around, I did it less often, but I still considered myself a master at this art of broom balancing. During the years where nobody would want to talk to me, if anyone ever caught me lying on my broom I would be popular. Just for a minute.

My mind drifted back to when we were still at Hogwarts. I thought about all the places we could have gone to, just the two of us. I wished deep in my heart that he would have gone on a real date with me back then. I could see us strolling by the lake, or going on a double date to Hogsmead with Norma or even Druella. Or maybe, instead of studying in the library, we could have gone behind one of the bookcases and –

"What the hell are you doing?"

I sat up, scared out of my wits by Tom's yell. I rose too quickly from fright, tipped slightly, and fell off my broom.

At the last moment, I caught myself - barely. I swung my other hand up to hold onto the broom. It had stopped, thankfully, but no matter how hard I tried to pull myself up, I couldn't quite make it. I regretted being weak, but I never thought I would need the strength. Until now that was.

I felt hopeless and stuck. I regretably glanced down at the ground below. I could almost make out a house and pasture with woods far off. Everything seemed minuscule. If I fell it would be a long way down. Where was Tom to save me?

Then a voice scathingly told me off, "Why did I even bring you along? You were safer at the house. You're a fool Eva, a sodding fool for ever doing that. Now, here, stay on your broom and no more tricks, ever."

I was back on my broom with the help of Tom. I nodded numbly with humiliation. I didn't want Tom to think that I was worthless. Yet if he hadn't yelled, I wouldn't have fallen off. I couldn't say this to Tom, so I just kept my mouth shut and bitterly watched him fly away.

It must have been close to midnight by the time Tom began his descent into the thick forest. Although the color and types of trees were different than our Albaninan forest, I couldn't tell the difference between this patch of trees and the one we had passed a few minutes ago. But I guess he knew where our destination lay. I plundged after Tom until we both landed on the mulch covered ground with the pine trees blocking out the bright moonlight.

There was a small clearing a few paces ahead of us, but instead of walking there Tom leaned against a tree, casually watching the spot. Before I could ask him what we were doing, he told me, "They won't be here for a while, so make yourself comfortable."

I did as I was told and sat down onto the leafy covered dirt next to a tree trunk. I had to adjust myself because the tree roots dug into me. After finally finding a comfortable spot I started to dig my gloved hands through the dirt to pass the time. When I had done that for long enough I asked, "How much longer will it be?"'

He glimpsed at his watch and thought for a while. "Well…not that much longer. Maybe an hour or so – maybe less."

I sighed. Oh well. At least I had more time with Tom. I decided to take advantage by questioning him. "You know," I started, more sheepishly than I had desired, "for living with you a month and going to school with you for five years, I don't know a lot about you."

He didn't answer for a while. I was going to repeat myself in case he hadn't heard my timid question until he answered back, "Yes you do."

I frowned, although, with the thick branches blocking the light, he couldn't tell. "No...I mean, I don't know anything about your family."

"I don't know anything about yours," he replied casually back. From what I could see of him in the dark, his arms were crossed while his face stared at the clearing. His wand was spinning in his hand.

"You said no lying to each other," I taunted. He knew about my Smith family and that I had a Muggle father. I didn't know who was his Muggle parent or wizard parent was. But I always assumed the Muggle was his father because I had never heard the name "Riddle" before.

"I said no lying in the house."

I smiled and laughed. He was back to his humorous mood. "Fine," I said, "But still, you can at least tell me where your wizard blood comes from."

In the darkness, I could tell that Tom became stiff. He didn't answer. I knew that, just by listening to the silence, he was thinking his thoughts over in his mind. After living with him for a month or so, I knew what his different silences meant.

His voice broke the cold night air and I saw a faint breath hang. "It was my mother. Her name was Merope Gaunt. She died giving birth to me."

"Oh…I'm so sorry. My mother died too, when I was nine."

"Yes, I know."

"Well, pretend you don't know," I huffed. "Anyways, her name was Rebecca Smith." I could tell Tom was biting his tongue from saying he already knew. Pleased with myself, I kept going. "Did you parents ever marry? Mine did."

He sighed a bit, knowing I was continuing my interrogation. "Yes."

Another long pause, then I asked, "What happened to your father?" No answer. This silence told me that he didn't intend on answering. I sighed and rolled my eyes again. "Why are you being so difficult? I'm just trying to have a conversation with you."

The moon had moved through the trees. It broke through a perfect space in the branches and shined on his beautiful angular face. I saw him lick his lips then reply, "I don't like talking about my parents. Is that a crime?"

"No," I slowly responded, "but maybe it will help if you talk about it."

"No, it won't," Tom scolded.

It was silent again. If he wasn't going to talk, I might as well. Since Tom was going to live forever to make me live forever then he should know my past, I thought reasonably.

"My father died, before I was born." I stopped. The moon moved again through the trees, and I had to go by his silence on what he was thinking. I believed he was waiting for me to finish. "He…I don't think he wanted me. Actually," I scoffed, "I don't think my mother wanted me either, but she never told me."

I saw Tom's breath in the cold night. He didn't say anything or respond as if he had heard what I said. However, I knew he did. I had never told anyone that before. But knowing that Tom knew was all I wanted. To know that someone wanted me alive was enough.

Tom then said, "My parents are dead too."

"So you are an orphan? Like me? I was never quite sure."

"Yes, I think having both of your parents dead qualifies you as an orphan. If not that, I hope spending my first eleven years in a pathetic orphanage qualifies me."

"Er…yes, I suppose so." I always felt bad that he had lived in an orphanage while I had the pleasure of living in a decent boarding school. In many ways, I ended up better than he did.

Thankfully I heard a whooshing sound coming from the clearing. The conversation had grown more awkward than I expected, and I was glad that it ended.

We turned to the clearing and I stood up. Tom walked briskly towards the figures which were appearing in a wispy black smoke. It reminded me of traveling by the Floo Network, but without the fireplaces. I followed him close behind Tom, but not close enough it seemed.

Two of the black, cloaked figures grabbed me, but as soon as I tried to call for help, they jumped off me.

Tom never looked back to see if I was alright but kept walking into the middle of the clearing. Although I was shaking slightly from my near attack, I sprinted so that I would be within a protective distance.

In the clearing, a circle of hooded, black-robed figures had now formed. They were all different heights and sizes. I was a little surprised since I had a stereotype of what vampires would look like: tall and thin. But it looked as if not even one matched my preconcieved appearance. Tom and I were in the middle, now surrounded by the figures. I looked at him, and he stared at the vampire directly facing us.

This one was a shorter vampire and, as soon as it finished materializing, threw off its hood in a rage.

He was handsome young man with a Eastern European face, probably around my age (in human years of course). The man had dark brown hair which was neatly kept, almost military style, and thick dark eyebrows. His eyes were small but full of emotion, mainly fury. His full lips and healthy skin color surprised me, since I expected a pale skinny creature. The vampire's face was twisted with anger, and he began spit and hissed us.

Suddenly, a snake slithered from behind him and reared its body towards Tom and I, ready to strike. I was completely surprised. My thoughts brought back visions of when I was in third year walking the corridors with a young Tom Riddle while a Basalisk had also reared its body to strike.

Tom, however, didn't even flinch and tiredly hissed back to the snake. The creature stopped in its track and retreated. The young vampire froze, his face full of confusion.

Then, without warning, the vampire gave a wide smile. I could see his sharp fangs. He began talking quickly in a foreign language. Soon he realized we couldn't understand him. After he tried a few other languages, he finally spoke a greeting English to which we replied a greeting back. When he talked, his voice held a slight accent and was voluminous, which was odd since he was a man of short stature. "We have a Parselmouth in our presence?"

Tom replied in a courteous tone, "I didn't know you were using snakes now. I thought bats were your specialty?"

"Ah yes, well snakes are a little more…deadlier. But that is unimportant. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I," Tom bowed, and nodded for me to bow, which I did, "am Voldemort. At your service, I might add."

The vampire grinned menacingly at Tom then looked to me. "Who's the morsel you brought. If you were giving us a gift, you should not have put garlic on her. That stuff will stick with her, even when it's taken off."

"She is simply my servant, but if you wish it, we could make an arrangement."

I tried not to look shocked at his statement, but I'm afraid I failed. I hoped that he was just playing up to the vampire, and that he really wouldn't give me away.

The young-looking vampire yawned and I could see his sharp long fangs better. They were stained with blood. It was nothing like the books and pictures I had seen of them. In them, vampires always had pearly white teeth; but seeing one in real life, I knew that it would be impossible to keep those fangs clean with all the blood.

He knew I was staring and winked at me. I felt slightly offended. He acted very flirty in his body language to me (like eyeing my body), and it was becoming more and more unwelcome. This meeting was turning out to be nothing like I expected.

He turned to Tom and asked, "What do you want from me, Parselmouth?"

"I am your humble servant and simply ask for your cooperation."

The vampire laughed. "Cooperation with a servant? I think not. I only cooperate with my allies and my equals. So far, you have proved to be neither."

I knew that my lord wouldn't give up this easily, so he continued, "You are Arnold Paole, are you not? The head vampire here in Serbia?"

Paole, or whatever his name was, stopped smiling and glared at Tom. He had curiosity in his eyes yet also a sense of fear. "How the hell do you know my name? Or my human name since I am no longer part of your living realm."

Tom knew he had hit the nail on the head and replied casually, "I know a lot of things, your lordship. I am planning a rebellion, against your enemies, and I would like you to join me. Anything you want could be yours: no longer having to hide and you could take as much blood as you would like. I could even give you your own country if you like."

He laughed loudly, and it sent chills down my spine. "Give me my own country! You have a lot of balls to come here and tell me this, Parselmouth."

"I only speak the truth," Tom replied calmly.

Paole stared at him, as if he was going to find out the real reason Tom came. After finding nothing, he sighed deeply. "You are different from the other wizards; that I can see. I'm sure we are not talked too much in your schools and homes, but our numbers are dwindling quickly. Many of my followers have been foolish enough to repopulate with humans. And what do your children do?" the head vampire yelled at the others. "They turn around and become vampire hunters! May that be a lesson to all of you!"

The rest of the hooded creatures shuddered, and one of them, to my right, was ringing its hands.

"But yes, I will think about your offer. Now go away, before I change my mind." The vampire seemed to pout and waved us off with his hand. As we reached our brooms, I heard him call out, "Next time you bring the girl, make sure she doesn't wear any garlic!"

Quickly, I climbed onto my broom as did Tom. I saw him nod at me in the dark. Next time, I thought I would opt out of coming. I might have teased Tom about being bitten, but certainly didn't mean it if it meant being with Paole.

As we reached the star-speckled sky, he flew next to me and started to talk. "That turned out better than I thought."

"Really?" I asked, with a bit of a squeak in my voice. "I was afraid I was going to be eaten."

He chided me, "Vampires don't eat humans. They just drink their blood. And like I said, the garlic would save your life. I knew you wouldn't want to be a vampire anyways."

"Not with that creepy head-vampire – Paole was his name?"

Tom laughed, "Yes...and I knew he was a little eccentric - but snakes? That was very odd."

I wanted to laugh with him, but I was still slightly shaken from our meeting. I did decide to ask a question that had been bugging me since Tom told the snake off, "So is Parsel…something the snake language you speak?"

"It's Parseltongue. You didn't know? I thought you would have figured it out by now. I thought for sure you knew it when….well, after I walked you to the common room that one Christmas."

I smiled in the darkness since the clouds had covered the moon. I was pleasantly surprised that Tom had recalled the night as well. "I can't believe you remembered that."

He looked at me slyly, full of energy since the trip with the vampires had turned out well. "I remember everything Eva."

I grinned back, "Oh I'm sure you do, my lord." I wondered if he was suggesting when he also spoke Parseltongue in the Chamber.

"But yes, Parseltongue is the language of the snakes."

"Can you teach me?" I questioned hopefully.

"You think that everything can be learned don't you? No, I can't. You have to be born with it."

I crossed my arms, making Tom shudder slightly since I wasn't holding onto the broom. I frowned at him, "Well, you sure were blessed with a lot of things."

"I was," he said quite proudly. "That is why I will become the greatest wizard mankind has ever known."

I desperately wanted to ask him if I would be there with him. I didn't have the courage to, however, and the only thing I could say was, "When are you going back to see Paole?"

"First, you better not call him by that. He hates his human name and usually goes by Lord Tympanios. Then again, no one calls him by that either, usually just lord. I actually admire him in that. I want my name to be so feared that no one dares say it." Tom mused a while at the thought, but then continued.

"But the vampires meet once a month in that little part of the forest because when a full moon rises they become visible to humans. Otherwise, we can't see them."

"Isn't that more like werewolves?"

"Well, the full moon can break a lot of dark and old magic. It shows the true forms of creatures, like vampires and werewolves.

"But back to the vampires – they go into hiding. The rest of the time, you can't see them unless they want you to see them. Only their children can view them normally. And as you heard, most of them become vampire hunters. Some say if you were born on a Saturday you can see them, but that's nonsense."

I nodded, as if that was obvious to the world. He continued talking, "I won't be going next month, because they'll become annoyed. I'm sure they will send me a sign to when I'm welcome. We have plenty of time, and I am a patient man."

I yawned sleepily. I partly heard heard him but partly not. I was becoming steadily tired. Not eating much for a week and staying up in all hours of the night had taken its toll. If I didn't do something soon, I was going to fall of my broom from sheer exhaustion. I supposed I would have to aak my lord for help. What options did I have? "Tom…could I…?"

My hand slipped and I lost control of my broom. It swerved towards his, and he caught the end before I ran into him. Tom, knowing what I was trying to say, groaned softly. "You want me to carry you home?"

I looked at him, with my eyes barely open, "I'm so tired…I'm really sorry…just this once, please?"

He sighed and slowed the brooms down until they stopped. I swung myself over, as best I could, and sat in front of him. He looked down at me with his brows buried, looking frustrated. "I wanted you to sit behind me."

I sighed exasperatedly, and I tried to climb over him. Anything for his lordship.

After swinging a leg around him he became suddenly nervous, probably afraid I was going to fall off. "No, no, no. Just…never mind."

"Okay." I pulled my leg back and relaxed. I tried leaning into his chest and closing my eyes, but I couldn't go to sleep. Even though I was dead tired, I wouldn't be able to rest properly. I was too close to Tom. The last time we were this close was on my fifteenth birthday, four long years ago. I could never forget about that. For a while, I had thought our kiss in the Chamber was a dream, but deep down I knew it wasn't. Not being able to go to sleep I looked up at him.

Tom was staring straight ahead, with his eyebrows still buried. "What do you want?" I asked recalling our first kiss so long ago.

He looked down, still annoyed. "For starters, get off this broom and fly yourself."

"You said I could…"

"Yes, I remember. Just…go to sleep." Then he stayed quiet, never replying to my question.

I growled with frustration. "You never answer me. What do you want, Lord Voldemort?"

The broom slowed down considerably, and he grabbed my shoulders lightly, but still dug his fingers in. "I want…I want you to be quiet."

I said nothing as I looked into his eyes. I suddenly felt my exhaustion, and I closed my eyes. He let go of me and continued flying towards our home. I laid my head on his chest, unsure of whether he would let me. He didn't push me off immediately so I took it as a positive sign.

Then he sighed, and it was very odd to hear. It almost sounded like he was unsure of himself, but that wasn't like Tom. If he was anything, he was always confident, full of potential and creativity. He would be the most powerful and dangerous wizard ever to live, so he couldn't be unsure of himself. Yet I couldn't deny that sigh.

"I know what you want, Eva. You want me to be some sort of…lover to you. Well I can't be. I refuse to love. It is a weakness that I will never lower myself too. My mother loved, and look where it got her. My so-called father ran off, leaving her to fend for herself. She stupidly loved him so much she died, refusing to save herself. And left me, alone and forgotten with a bunch of idiot Muggles who never cared for anyone but themselves. So no…I will never love you. So you better get that idea out of your head before you do something foolish."

It was a fresh slap to the face, and I wasn't sure if I could handle it.

He just told that my dreams would never come true, that there would never be a sunrise to my night, there would never be a light to the end of my tunnel, and that there was no daylight after the darkness - just more darkness. I couldn't cry. I was too hurt to cry. It was like when my mother had died. I just had to accept the fact and live with it.

But I couldn't believe what he was saying. He said he would never love me, but said nothing about not being able to. I knew if I tried hard enough I could change his mind. I had to. I must.


	9. July 4, 1947

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day, Tom decides to visit the Dementors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas - I'll be posting a few more chapters until New Years so please read and comment to let me know what you think! Thank you :)

Albania  
(1947-1957)

July 4, 1947

I awoke confused and displaced. Where on earth was I? After stretching my arms and blinking, I found that I was in my bed. And this bed was in an empty cabin on the coast of Albania. I was dreaming about Hogwarts, and the fact that I was not back in England took an adjustment. I tried to recall what I was doing before I went to sleep. The last thing I remembered was Tom flying me back home. I was sitting on his broom, and I felt terribly sad. But why?

Then I remembered his heartless words flood back to me. He was never going to love me. For the first time in my life, I felt truly heart broken. My heart was in pain, physically. I grabbed my chest and tried to hold back the rush of tears that I had dammed up. But I was failing. Last night, I remember feeling determined to make him love me - now, it was all gone. If I could never make him love me, what was the point of being here?

I became caught in a mix of emotions, mostly confusion. I was replaying his monologue over in my head, making sure I understood exactly what he was telling me, having tears flow the whole time. Yet I couldn't understand Tom's logic. He told me that he "refused" to love me, and that he would never "stoop" so low as to experience that emotion. Nonetheless, how else could I describe his previous actions towards me? Tom had saved my life in the third year, befriended me in the fourth, named me his most faithful servant in fifth, and, now, here I was, joining him on his quest for greatness by his personal invitation. If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

If what I surmised was true, then why wouldn't Tom submit to his feelings? I know he must have them, so why does he continue to bury them as if they never existed? What is so bad about loving another? A million of questions floated through my mind with no answers.

A loud ruffle caught my attention to my left. Hoot had made his way into his cage, and he was making himself ready for sleep. His large eyes blinked at me, as if he was trying to comfort me. I tried to smile reassuringly, but I was afraid I failed.

What Tom said about his parents soon came to mind. I seemed that his mother had blindly loved his father, and it didn't turn out very well. They had both died and left him alone in a forgotten orphanage. I can't compare my childhood to his at all. I was loved and cared for by Mother, even if it was just a small amount of time. Then, after she died, I was sent to not just an ordinary boarding school but a prestigious one at that. A life of orphanages simply couldn't compare to my plush life I had so taken granted of.

Suddenly a rush of pity towards Tom filled me where I had never felt that for him before. In school, I knew he lived at an orphanage, but I never thought of the consequences of his daily life. I saw what they were last night. Since he was never loved, he felt that he could never love. But I knew I could. I was put on this earth for a reason, some reason I don't know about. Perhaps this was the reason: to teach him something. I smiled to myself and wiped away the tears as I sat on the edge of the bed. As I looked down at the Dark Mark on my right forearm I realized that, for the first time, I was born with something that he didn't have.

My body felt a quick jolt after hearing loud rapid raps on the front door while a voice calmly commanded me. "Get up Eva. You've been in there long enough. And we'll need to get going sometime this hour if I'm ever to take over the wizarding world."

I stood up and giggled to myself. Sometimes he could be overdramatic. Deciding to call back, instead of stay quiet, I replied, "I'm up, my lord. There's no need to break down the door."

The rapping stopped, and I heard his footsteps march away on the dewy grass. I pulled the top drawer of the dresser to change into my green robes. Suddenly, I realized that my coat and shoes had been removed since last night. Tom must have taken the liberty of undressing me. I shoved the drawer shut angrily. I wasn't sure if I liked him doing that. He was not allowed to enjoy my body without cherishing my heart.

I was fixing my hat while I exited the small house. I twisted my golden curls into a bun with one hand, while my hand hesitantly wanted to stick my wand in it. Tom would have a cow if he saw. I grabbed a stick lying on the ground and quickly transfigured in into a hair pin. I spotted Tom poking around my makeshift garden. His fingers were absentmindedly smoothing his mustache as he examine my tomato plant, onion plant, cabbage plant, and potato plant, which were currently growing healthy with signs of fruit. I couldn't help but call out, "Looking for the diadem in there?"

He stood up straight and squared his shoulders. "Yes, very funny. I was just noticing your plants. They're doing better than I expected. I'm certainly glad I brought you now."

Why was he being such an ass this morning, I asked myself. It must have been last night's conversation. Since he couldn't run away from me, he would have to insult me and belittle me. But, if that's what it would take for things to go back to normal, I could be as docile as he wanted. I didn't want him to sense my pity for him, but that was a large part of why I hadn't started fighting. I tried to hide it with feeling proud about his compliments on my garden.

"Thank you, my lord."

He brightened up a little bit, "You're welcome. Today, we're going off to have a talk with the Dementors."

Although most of me wanted to protest, I didn't want to go searching in the forest again for his lost crown. Also, our encounter with the vampires last night was, although scary, riveting. The best part was that I wasn't looking at tree trunks for hours on end. But I had to know - why Dementors and why now?

"My lord? These... Dementors - is there a reason why are going to see them so soon after the vampires?" While I questioned him, I had walked next to him to also view my garden. There were a few weeds to pull which I mentally made a note of. A few feet ahead I could see the chickens milling about. They needed to be fed as well. Our water bucket was empty and needed to be re-charmed. Then I recalled the laundry piling up in the house as well as the dishes.

It seemed like there was enough to be done at the house, I wasn't sure if I saw the need to go with Lord Voldemort. He was much more powerful than me; I wasn't sure exactly what I brought to the picture.

He didn't answer me, but walked towards the house. Our two broomsticks were leaning against the wall near the door. He had already made preparations for us to leave – I saw two bags of what must have been lunch on the grass laying next to the brooms.

I followed him back to the house and started explaining my case of why I should stay. "There is laundry to do as well as dishes. Also, I think it would be best for me to stay and tend to the yard. I could sneak my way back into the village and maybe take some beef? I haven't eaten any beef in ages!"

Tom glared at me, frustrated with my stalling. "There is not enough to keep you busy here while I am gone."

I heaved a sigh. "My lord. I can do much with a free day. I wouldn't laze around the house as you might imagine me to do so. I am going to work hard, cleaning the house as well as your study – which I'm sure you need cleaned. And I shall finally have time to clean your and my sheets. We will sleep so much better, I promise you." I added the last part because for the past month I had slept by myself in the house and I always assumed he slept in a makeshift bed in his own shack. It was always so grimy every time I peered in; I guessed his bed would be unclean as well. He never looked well rested. Every night, though, I wished he would live in the main house with me and share a bed. But, currently, I needed to put those thoughts aside.

Tom, to my surprise, was becoming angrier, clutching his wand enough that it could snap. "Eva… I–" he began, with his teeth clenched.

I realized I had to change my tone soon or I would regret it. "I apologize my lord," as I went to my knees to show him respect. "If you let me stay, I won't just work at home. I will look for your diadem as well." I did my best to say it all with a straight face. Even if he looked into my mind, he would see that I meant no harm and that I was truthful about looking through the forest – though I was not thrilled about the job.

His eyes widened while he watched me fall to the ground. However, Tom's face did not turn into the typical grin that he usually wore when receiving submission. He pursed his thin lips and clenched his jaw further. The next thing I knew, words were tumbling from his mouth that I barely understood.

"You're coming with me to the Dementors because I don't want to be alone."

After a moment's comprehension, I was shocked by his utter honesty. Before I had time to wash over his full meaning, his long fingers grabbed my arm and pulled me off the ground. "I don't want to hear a single word more on the matter. We are leaving." He shoved my broom into my arms, and I watched as he flew into the sky hurriedly. I took off soon after.

We flew in silence for the better part of an hour. Tom was far ahead of me, almost as if he didn't care if I followed him or not. But that wasn't true based on his recent words. I gazed down at the lush forest below, which was not lit enough by the moonlight last night to properly see. Tom and I had gone through, what I believed to be, a multitude of trees in the past month. But the farther and farther we flew, the more I saw how miserably and unpleasantly wrong I was. We had barely begun. Finding that diadem was going to take a very long time.

Tom was so far ahead of me, I didn't much worry about him turning around and spying on me. I decided to risk lying on my stomach upon the broom, with my head placed on the back of my hands. I pondered our earlier conversation as I watched his miniscule body fly far ahead into a cloud.

Tom – Lord Voldemort – of all people didn't want to be alone? It practically didn't make sense. If I had not witnessed the words spill out of his mouth, I wouldn't have believed he ever said it. Yet he told me he didn't want to be alone to convince me not to stay at home. He couldn't have honestly meant it though – his happiness thrived off solidarity. I could tell it annoyed him if I was in his company for too long. I doubted the Dementors, though easily frightening, scared him at all since he was the one going to them.

I sat up on the broom with a surge of emotion. After all the pain and sadness he caused me last night and earlier this morning, he decides to toy with me by claiming he didn't want to be lonely? My pity for him was disintegrating. Was he playing me along like my feelings were a game? He was probably laughing up ahead, thinking how funny it is to have me hate him at one moment then love him the next. I entered into a cloud, blind to what was ahead of me. Hot tears burned in my eyes, and I couldn't say what caused them.

Maybe he really couldn't love me. More tears fell down my face but the wind dried them up instantly. I should just go back to England if this was how my time with Lord Voldemort was going to be for the rest of my life. I seriously debated leaving him behind, knowing if I just head north I could find my way. I emerged from the cloud and saw Tom, still far advanced.

What if, I questioned as another tear escaped, he really did have feelings for me but didn't know what to do with them? I had to remember he grew up alone without a parent or guardian to teach him how to love one another. Maybe with a little patience and effort, I could get Tom to open up and teach him to care for me the same way I cared for him. What if he truly was lonely for my companionship?

Immediately a terrible headache came over me. I doubled over as my stomach, too, began to contort in pain. I involuntarily let out a groan. What was happening to me?

Then, as sudden as it came, it left me. I saw that Tom hadn't moved an inch – what if I had fallen? Would he have even noticed? I growled in anger. That was the final straw. I turned my broom north and never once looked back at him.

It had taken a while but I eventually arrived back in London. Searching around Diagon Alley I learned the address of Norma. She took me in and I was grateful. Her fiancé Romule Lestrange had offered me a chance to work with him St. Mungos as a Healer. He was studying to take the M.A.G.E. (Medical Assessment Granting Experience) which allowed a witch or wizard to be an apprentice Healer. Once he or her finished three years of apprenticeship, they would be approved by the Magical Medicine Committee to be a full-fledged Healer. Norma was proud of him, and his study material seemed easy enough so I decided to work with him.

Months later, before I was about to take my own M.A.G.E. I had stumbled into Augustus Rookwood at Diagon Alley. He was still infatuated with me, and I was interested in what he had been doing after Hogwarts. He had asked me what I did after I graduated, but for an odd reason I had no recollection. All I could say was I had been with Norma studying to be Healer. He wouldn't allow me to stay with Norma further and invited me to live with him in his small flat. I didn't accept right away, but after I had walked in on Norma and Romule for the tenth time, I realized I needed to give them their space.

Living with Augustus was pleasant, but I never felt a deeper attachment to him beyond that of a friend. Yet he wanted us to court and I awkwardly felt obliged. Tom Riddle, who I had infatuated over in Hogwarts, was gone without a trace. Augustus was probably the best I would be able to do.

I had passed my M.A.G.E. and the years seemed to blur by. They had me work at St. Mungos usually over eighty hours a week, but I was happy to be busy. Before my meeting with the committee on whether I would be a true Healer, Augustus had proposed. What was I to do – of course I would have to say yes. Norma and Druella were so happy for me. The good news continued, it seemed, as I became a hired Healer at St. Mungos along with Romule.

Our wedding was nothing fancy, and we honeymooned in Spain. Yet I was not in love with him. I did, however, love my work in the hospital. It was painful when I couldn't save a patient, but helping others gave me my only satisfaction in life. Then a terrible sickness struck the magical community.

I spent countless nights mixing potion after potion to find a cure. Yet nothing could stop or prevent the fever, delirium, and finally the death that followed. There were six patients I treated and cared for, separated physically and magically from the rest of the hospital. I had done my best to protect myself, but it still came no surprise to me when I woke up one morning with an unnatural heat in my body.

Immediately I had checked myself into the hospital. Romule personally treated me, but I knew I was doomed. Augustus tearfully stood by my side, holding my hand, unwilling to accept the truth. I felt bad for him, but I wasn't upset leaving him. Norma and Druella, my only friends, also didn't want to believe that the sickness would take me. Only Romule and I knew what lied ahead – death within a day. As night fell, the delirium came upon me. The ceiling kept coming down trying to crush me, and I cried out constantly for help. I suddenly understood the fear my patients had while they were dying. It was horrific. Everything was coming to attack me and crush me. Augustus wanted to smother me with my pillow, while Druella had poisoned the water she offered me. I cried with anguish during a lucid moment. Was this my life now? What a waste it had become – I was going to die in a hospital bed, no older than twenty-five.

I turned my head to the right and became afraid. Was I still lucid or seeing things again. Tom Riddle was sitting in my bedside chair. He was thinner and less handsome than I had remembered him. His dark hair was thinning, his face unshaved, and his eyes were sunken. But despite his appearance, I reached out to him with a shaky, sweaty hand. Tom allowed me to touch his face but made no reaction. I sighed, knowing somewhere in my life I made the wrong decision. I had loved him more than anything else. My eyes felt heavy and the lids closed like a coffin lid.

An atmosphere of nothingness hung in the air. Every sense had become dark and absent.

My eyes sprang open and a searing pain erupted inside my head. But it felt like I had always been in pain – I always had this headache. I screamed, unable to keep silent. My hands grabbed my head, hoping to put pressure to end the pain. I felt a strong breeze on my face and saw that I was still flying. But while my head felt like it was going to burst, my stomach became feel nauseous. I could barely think.

Then, yet again, it subsided. Tom had heard me scream and slowed down to be near me. He seemed truly concerned for me. My heart soared and I tried to banish all my doubt of him away. After hours and conversations flew by, we made it to the Dementors. Then things rushed by in a blur. It was like being in a cinema with a film being projected onto my eyes. I saw numerous faces, some familiar and some unknown. Numerous locations rushed under my feet, like I was Apparating in a different place each second. Suddenly I saw giants, werewolves, vampires, trolls, dragons, manticors, Dementors, Goblins, and a plethora of all magical creatures. They were all under Lord Voldemort's control. And I was his most trusted servant. And then things slowed down. In a large house Tom pulled me aside into a beautiful room, closed the door, and finally kissed me. I realized I was his lover at last. He was going to protect me and love me like I had desired all these years.

But a change happened.

Along with the throbbing pain in my head and stomach, I began to feel crushed with an overwhelming sadness. It was misery but nothing I could ever compare to – like I was trapped in a well and walls were impossible to climb but much worse. Where was Tom, I wondered? He was supposed to protect me – had something terrible happened to him?

A strangely familiar scene materialized before my eyes. A robed arm, outstretched towards me. A crowd gathered. I was in beautiful robes, and jewelry adorned me. Yet all of the luxuries caused me further nausea. I was screaming in frustration at a stranger as he pointed his wand at me. But I felt a strong sense of deja vu as I saw what happened next. A green flash overwhelmed me and I saw nothing but blackness while my pain continued.

My body convulsed, and I, again, felt the cool wind due to high elevation. I opened my eyes and, though I tried to hold back, vomited to my left. My stomach finally began to calm, and my sharp headache became dull. I finally had the capacity to feel a warm hand tightly holding my upper right arm. Slowly, because I was still hurting, I turned to my right to see Tom staring fiercely at my face. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his other hand was holding onto my broom to keep it steady.

We said nothing as I stared ahead trying to remember my visions. That was what they were and this was the second time I remember it happening to me. The first was right before my mother had died but I didn't recall anything: except the robed stranger and the flash of green light.

This second round of visions affected me much worse than it had when I was nine. They also lasted much longer. Yet this time I could cling onto a few more images and emotions. From the first time, I can't remember anything except my death and being woken up by Mother from my blackout. It was her who told me I had seen the future. It was something of a curse in our family to predict our downfalls, she had said bitterly. But that was all I could remember of that time.

I racked my brain trying to remember what exactly tied all the scenes together, but as seconds passed I lost more understanding. I rubbed my temple with my left hand, as if I could force the memory out. It was no use. As the pain disappeared so did the memory of my entire vision.

Except I was certain I did not want to leave Tom. I wanted to remember him saving me in both visions, but I wasn't sure. However, he was here in reality saving me.

Tom, who had been silent the whole time, watched me as I struggled to recollect myself. His face was still serious, but I was unsure whether there was worry or anger. All I could think to say at the moment was, "I… I'm sorry my lord."

Now that I had broken the silence, he questioned me, "What happened?" His tone was not at all concerning. He spoke it like a parent would to a child who was found next to a valuable yet broken vase.

"I-I-I…I'm not sure. I supposed I had a… vision?"

"What do you remember? Tell me everything." His hand gripped a touch harder on my arm and his face moved only slightly closer to mine. I couldn't help but move back.

"I don't remember – that is I don't know how I could explain. There was no start or end – it just happened."

He frowned further, "Your eyes rolled back in your head for at least five minutes, and you don't remember a single thing?"

I shook my head, "Not that I could explain." Then I paused and remembered that Tom could hear my thoughts and see my memories. Tom himself could tell me what my vision was. "My lord, I just realized that you could go into my mind and tell me what I saw - what I foretold."

He dropped my arm and scooted his broom farther away from me in frustration. "Wouldn't you think if I could do that, I would have?" he called back. The breeze muted his voice so I was not very alarmed. It was surprising that my visions were unreadable by Tom. It must have bothered him so to be left in the dark. But did he want to know my visions to help me or to help himself? Most likely it was the latter.

Although I probably should have bowed my head, I held it up straight and said, "I apologize, my lord. I can't remember and you can't tell me what is in my head so we best put what happened to me aside and continue on."

Tom's face became a bit more ill-tempered that I was currently having the voice of reason rather than him. I too was a bit shocked that I, who experienced the episode, was calmer than Tom, who simply witnessed it. His face eventually mellowed out. Then, startling me, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at my face. "Eva," he said calmly, "if I could curse the truth out of you, I would." I stared at him, not quite worried but nowhere near as calm as his face was. He put away his wand and finished, "But I can't… or maybe…"

Tom began to feel his short beard deep in thought. He looked up at me after a few seconds. "Actually, I will get it out of you…eventually," he mused while his eyes looked to the right in recollection.

After we began to fly for a comfortable amount of time, I told him, "Thank you my lord for holding onto me and the broom."

"Think nothing of it," he said with a bored look on his face.

I looked up into the clouds now high above us. "I would have fallen if you hadn't been there."

"I didn't think you were afraid of falling off your broom due to the ridiculous stunts you always pull," he said as we finally locked eyes. His brow was high, and I almost thought he was in a humorous mood. But I couldn't say for sure.

I smiled recalling my first thrill of flying broom and Mother helping me practice tricks. It was unusual for a young witch to ride a broom, but Mother thought it was important I had some sort of wizard tradition while we lived in our Muggle world. By the time I was in Hogwarts, flying lessons were absurdly easy, and I would fly around the grounds rather than listen to the instructor drone on. "I've always loved to fly. If I could, I'd fly without a broom, but that's impossible."

Tom regarded me, his face thoughtful. "Nothing's impossible."

I grinned, "No. I suppose not for the great Dark Lord."

"Your flattery is too much," he chided as he waved his hand.

I gave him a side glance. I could tell he was trying to keep a straight face and not smile from his own pride. I wanted so badly to grab his hand and hold it, especially after what he had done for me. But that would not go over well. I changed the subject.

"How much longer until we reach the Dementors?"

Tom flicked his wand, mumbling a spell. In front of him a red circle the size of a plate hovered. Within it was a blue dot and a green one. I couldn't tell much else from my angle. He scratched his facial hair. I could see it was bothering him a lot, and he would probably shave it the minute we got home. "It will be around five more hours."

I had to hold my tongue from exclaiming. Five more hours of flying? Where on earth were we going: the moon? I sighed inwardly. Giving myself something to do, I pushed my broom to accelerate more. My hair whipped around my face, and soon I felt Tom's presence edge closer. He yelled over the sound of the wind in our ears, "Why are you going so fast?"

"I don't like waiting, so I thought we'd speed it up a bit," I yelled back.

Tom looked at me incredulously. "Aren't you afraid you'll lose control and fall off? It's a long way down, and your damage will probably be irreversible. I refuse to save you if you are going to be reckless."

"Why, my lord! Are you perhaps admitting that you might be afraid of heights?" I knew I shouldn't tease him, but he was being such a child. I almost couldn't believe he was the Tom Riddle, the Dark Lord Voldemort. Afraid of heights is too normal a fear for him.

I stood up straighter on the broom and clenched his jaw in determination. "I am afraid of no such thing. I'm just saying it would be a tragedy if you died."

I couldn't help but speak the words in my heart. "Would you miss me?"

"I wouldn't miss your food." I rolled my eyes. It was the best I was going to get. "Aren't you afraid of dying?" he asked me casually.

I thought it over. There was a tingle in my brain similar to when you've forgotten the name of someone but you swore you knew it. I realized there must have been something in my vision to do with my death. Perhaps it was the arm and green flash. But recalling it didn't bring any emotions of fear. "No, not particularly," I answered.

Tom's face was empty of emotion and continued the conversation, as if it was about the weather. "So, if I threatened you with Avada Kedavra, you wouldn't even flinch?"

"You wouldn't do that. Then you would be flying by all by yourself." I didn't think about the words before they came out, but after seeing Tom's face I realized I should have not mentioned his morning episode.

Tom reacted to my words like I had pinched him. He was slightly surprised yet not at all happy. "Answer the question, Eva," he said in a cold voice.

I moved closer to him and slowed slightly so we wouldn't be yelling at each other. Tom slowed down too, apparently interested in the conversation. "I know you won't kill me To-my lord because…I know what my death will look like."

He looked at me straight in the eye. "You saw this in your vision. Am I there? What did you see? Tell me!"

I was taken aback by his demands. "My lord, I only remember a stranger with a wand and a flash of green. Even if you performed the Cruciatus Curse on me, there would be nothing more to tell you." Tom was heated enough that I almost thought he would. But then he realized we had already had had this conversation before.

I hung my head and admitted sadly, "I wish you could have saved me but it seemed like I was definitely struck by the spell." I lifted my head and caught his wary eyes. I was heading into a subject I knew Tom would rather not discuss. I let it go and so did he.

It did take us another four or so hours, but we ate our lunches and he graciously put in a book in each of our bags to read. We landed in a dense forest and the sun was already setting behind us. The sky was a perfect blue saturated with the last light. The trees appeared black in comparison. We left our brooms laying on a tree trunk wrapped with our infamous red stripe. We marched away from the sun, through the forest, and into the darkening sky. Lord Voldemort began to prepare me. "Now, have you ever met a Dementor?"

"No," I answered honestly.

"Well then, this will be your first time. They aren't very intelligent creatures, but they know what they want. And what they want is human happiness. They'll feed on all your good thoughts until you go mad. That is why they are so effective at Azkaban. Most wizards will tell you that the only way to get rid of a Dementor is by a Patronus. There is another way, but not many have what it takes to perform the charm." As we walked, it almost appeared like he was talking to himself, but after he finished he looked at me as if he was waiting for me to give him something.

"So first, let me see if you can make a Patronus."

I frowned and shifted my eyes. I remember learning of Patronuses at school, maybe from a question on the N.E.W.T.S., but I had never conjured a full-bodied one. To create one, a witch had to think of their happiest moment. The first happy moment I could think of was when Tom would genuinely smile at me (and I could count the times on one hand). We both stopped in unison and I pointed my wand out to the forest floor in front of us. "Expecto Patronum."

Nothing but a thick cord of silvery light slunk out of my wand. It didn't even land before it disintegrated.

"Ah well," Tom sighed, almost disappointed. "As I thought. It's quite alright. It's difficult to imagine a happy memory when life brings them so rarely."

I was upset that it didn't work. Stubbornly, I told myself that I was determined to remember my happiness. "No, I can do this. I know I can."

Tom silently agreed to let me do it again. I thought of not just myself and Tom, but when Mother and I used to go to the park, the time when Norma confided that she trusted me more than Druella, when Tom invited me to go to Albania with him, when Mother and I used to bake cakes, Tom and our shared kiss in the Chamber, and every time Tom looked in my eyes with a sense of incomprehension. It was at those times, I knew, Tom showed his true love for me. "Expecto Patronum!" I screamed out.

And this time a small creature flew out. It spun through the sky then landed in front of a shocked Tom. I was ecstatic that it had worked. A small silvery mongoose looked back up at us, patiently waiting for its command. I beamed at Tom who looked a little dumbstruck.

"I-I didn't expect you to make one. But…this is good," he nodded. "You know, if I wasn't absolutely sure that you were in love with me, which I am, I would think you were out to destroy me."

I spun around to Tom. "What? Why is that?"

"Your Patronus – it's a mongoose. They're the only animals that kill snakes for fun."

My eyes widened. "My lord! I meant no offense –"

Tom laughed, "I know. Send it away for now, and I'll show you my tricks."

I flicked the wand and the mongoose faded away. Tom pulled out his yew wand and spoke, "Infitialis Tutela."

I blinked and it was as if someone had put a dark yet transparent tent around Lord Voldemort and me. Everything seemed to be in the shadows, which felt impossible to me since the forest was already dark enough. The only clear area was our ten foot diameter bubble. "What does this do?" I had to ask.

"It bounces back the effect of the Dementors. They feed on happiness of human souls. However, this shield gives them a negative emotion to feed on, which they also enjoy. They won't get any closer, and you can't feel their effects. The Patronus scares them away, while this charm allows you to get close to them. I find it much more effective, but since you can do a Patronus…"

"Can't they see this shield?" I interrupted.

"Dementors don't have eyes. But even if they did, they couldn't. Only the people inside can see it."

Soon, we exited the forest into a clearing and stumbled into a dense fog. After hiking through for less than a half hour with Tom's shield still up, we began to see gates appear.

I stared at the run down iron gates. One was clinging onto its top hinge and the other gate had fallen down completely. I noticed there was a sign hanging above it. It stated, "Arbeit Macht Frei." I couldn't understand the first word, but the last two sounded like "make free." Something could make these people free, but what it was I would never know. Tom seemed to be walking closer towards me, almost like he was protecting me from the Dementors he could sense. I found the act touching, knowing that he had already created a charm to do the same job.

"What is this place?" I asked as we walked over the run down gate.

"It was an extermination camp that some of the Muggles had made for other Muggles. The locals call it 'Auschwitz.' There was so much death and depression here, the Dementors started to grow. This is the biggest breeding ground I know of in the continent."

Even though there was a shield, I still felt a slight chill down my back. The whole place felt depressing, shield or no. Although I was not made to relive my memories, my mother's death kept zipping in and out of my mind. Muggles, no matter their magical status or not, were human. Even though Tom may forget that, I couldn't. It was hard for me to believe that this had been what he called an extermination camp. To knowingly gather up people and then kill them was unthinkable. What if there had been children here? Did they see their parents die and then die along with them?

By this time, the air had become murky and clammy. The sky was black while the shining stars were invisible due to Tom's spell. We were able to see farther into the fog and I began to see towers and buildings emerge like ships from a mist. So far, we had met no Dementors, but I couldn't shake this uneasy feeling, like I was being watched like prey.

Instantly, we were surrounded, like it had been with the vampires. Except this time the creatures were much more terrifying.

There were at least six Dementors, and each must have been ten feet tall with dark ragged cloaks for bodies. Long pallor hands reached out of the cloak for us. I was sure that they were going to come and grab me. But, as Tom had predicted, they reached for the shield and stopped. Their hands were open and they felt around the entire bubble. They were stroking our shield with a sick sort of tenderness.

I was struck dumb by watching this strange sight when Tom stood up straighter and commanded their attention by shooting a red spell through the crowd. The biggest Dementor, hovering in front of us, looked slightly startled, seemingly ignorant of the humans inside of the bubble. He pulled his hood down and I immediately wanted to retch. Its head was nothing but a skull with grey skin clinging to it lifelessly. There were no eyes, only sockets. And instead of a mouth, a hole – from which I could hear rattling instead breathing.

I wasn't afraid of Dementors in the sense that they would hurt me or suck out my soul. I was simply disturbed by their being; I was disturbed that such a creature could exist in this world. Never before had I witnessed a true dark magical being as this. How on earth could Tom lose his war with these monsters in his army? I couldn't imagine what it would have felt like in this place without Tom's magic to protect me. Still, I was curious what it would feel like if my protection was gone, but I didn't want to test the theory.

I looked back at Tom and noticed that he was intensely staring at the hoodless Demetor with his wand in his hand threateningly. He did not speak, out loud that is. I could see he was communicating with the Dementors through some power of him being a Legilimens. After this lengthy exchange, the Dementors simply began to float away. Tom grabbed my elbow lightly, leading me towards the floating creatures.

After walking further into the grounds of the camp, I saw more buildings of different widths and heights but they all experienced the markings of war. Grey wall after grey wall we followed the Dementors. I couldn't understand the idea of killing humans in this magnitude where a whole town was built for murder. There must have been room for over a thousand people within all these buildings. I began to feel nauseated. The thought of men, women, and perhaps children being killed for no proper reason made me upset. I couldn't stand this place any more. Yet, I knew I had to follow my lord.

Soon we entered into a building. It looked like a hospital, but I doubted it, with all sorts of sick notions of what it probably was. The Dementor led us down a secret staircase. In this basement, there was no light, which didn't give me much comfort. Tom had lit his wand and I followed the act. The basement was thick, not just with darkness but Dementors. And this was where they were growing.

An even larger Dementor than our previous host swooped forward towards the Dementor that had leaded us here. I noticed Tom smile because this was the leader who he wanted to talk to. Tom now communicated to it.

I could only watch Tom's face to get an understanding of how their conversation was going. For a while, Tom seemed carry a polite demeanor, but his face began to contort. As minutes progressed, Lord Voldemort's face became angrier and angrier, until finally he whipped out his wand and pointed it at the leader.

"Here!" he yelled, "Would you like me to prove that I am stronger than the Ministry? Lord Voldemort is more powerful than all of those wizards combined!"

And then Tom did something that I had never seen him, much less anyone else, do before. Using his wand more as a prop than an actual tool, he raised his hands and the walls of the building shook. Not only did they tremble, with dust and silt falling from the ceiling, but by the light of my wand I could see walls rising. The Dementors could show no facial expressions yet I could tell that they were frightened. I was frightened. Black cloaks began to scurry around, and the largest ones fled up the stairs. The head Dementor backed away from Tom and outstretched its robed arms, feeling for the walls. The blind creature could feel walls were rising and dug its white, fleshless fingers into them. But it was of no avail.

As the building continued to rise, more dust and wall fragments began to fall from above. There were loud cracks and snaps. I pointed my lit wand at Tom. His face was terrifying, just like how it had been when he brought me to the Chamber of Secrets. His maniacal smile did not ease my concern at all for our situation. I waved my wand out to see what exactly the state of the building was. In what used to be the corners of the room were grey slimy things, which looked like large piles of puss. A high-pitched buzzing began to ring in my ears. My eyes widened as I realized. The buzzing was the eerie screams from the developing Dementors.

Tom held the walls up a little higher as a squelching sound came from the bags of developing Dementors. I saw a couple burst and sag, and soon after the odd screaming stopped. The head Dementor was rushing to us, in all appearances begging Lord Voldemort to stop. He obliged by slowly bringing the building down again. His face had returned to normal but an evil, satisfied smirk fixed on his lips.

Without another exchange Tom walked away, and I followed closely behind. None of the Dementors bothered us on our way out.


	10. November 1, 1947

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after Eva's birthday.

Albania  
(1947-1957)

November 1, 1947

Yesterday was my nineteenth birthday. Tom even remembered, and I was happy that he did. My so-called present was letting me have the day off from searching the Albanian forest for the damned diadem like we had almost every day. Of course, I couldn't complain too much. I had begged Tom to have Sunday off after almost two months of living here. My plants were starting to die because I couldn't tend to them enough. The chickens complained too, clucking that they were not being fed enough. When I first discussed it, he thought I was being lazy.

"It's a simple task I ask of you Eva: look at a tree and find a diadem. Why would you need a break from that?"

"My lord!" I exclaimed from frustration. We had just finished dinner when I brought up the conversation. We were sitting across from one another at our small table. "When put that way, it does sound easy. But it's not one tree; it's thousands upon thousands! I leave at dawn and I come home at dusk. My plants and animals are being neglected. Please, just allow me one day off a week – a Sunday. That's a typical day of rest." He made a face on the word"rest."

"But don't misunderstand my lord - I won't be resting. I would be taking care of the house, which, currently, I don't have time to clean properly as you can see. And when I finally make the time, it's either before sunrise or after dinner when I'm so exhausted. I, because of utter tiredness, am searching fewer trees than I used to."

Tom must have found some truth in my last statement because after a long pause he agreed. Also, I knew that the untidiness of the house bothered him more than me. Ever since he slept in the main cabin with me he had been waking me up earlier than usual to clean and prepare us lunch for the day.

Thankfully, he didn't wake me up early on my birthday. I was able to sleep until my body was fully regenerated. It was lovely. I didn't celebrate too much beyond that since Tom still required me to do household chores. I cleaned the house, weeded the garden, fed the chickens, and checked on my new crop of wheat and barley I had decided to grow (with the help of a little quick-grow spell I had acquired).

But I had a chance to explore the creek south of us, which I desired to do since we arrived in June. Tom, who spent most of the morning shaving off his almost full beard, refused to come with me and hid himself away in his study. I had a pleasant and refreshing trip despite his absence.

Norma and Druella sent me owls, which was very touching. Tom did not enjoy the fact that owls were here, signaling to "others" that we inhabited this cliff-side cabin. I was simply happy to be still remembered by my friends. Druella sent me one of her beautiful dresses – she apologized that it was last year's fashion, but she knew that I didn't care for fashion anyways. She was right, but I was so happy to receive another dress since I was down to just two. Norma sent me a new hairbrush that was charmed to make your hair look longer and shinier.

Also, for the first time in a long time, I had time to write in my album. I had written about how Tom brought us here to search for his diadem. I tried to describe the fond moments we had, but they were unfortunately rare. I also included the meeting with Lord Tympanios of the vampires. I wrote down my determination to win over Tom, no matter how hard he tried to push me away. I wrote, "I will not give up easily. I will be strong." Just putting those words on paper gave me strength. Lastly, I wrote about the meeting with the Dementors.

I felt strangely upset after we left such a horrible place and even more so since Tom had destroyed their offspring. Although they were such horrible creatures who had given me the creeps, Tom scared me more far beyond they ever did. I still couldn't understand how he can kill and destroy without any thought of remorse. I was with a man that scared the most terrifying creature on earth.

Tom, however, was very satisfied. He talked to me the whole trip back about our future plans. "Another trip back to Auschwitz will convince them to take me to the one in charge of all them – it's most likely staying at Azkaban since the Ministry would want to keep tabs on it." The vampires were trickier than Dementor, he commented, being human once. They had a choice in whom to side with. "Many of them," he explained about the vampires, "were wizards before they were bitten and killed. The Muggle ones kept mostly to themselves. They turned into the true monsters."

Tom was also going to try to get the goblin population to work with him, though that would be the most daunting task yet. Goblins and wizards have always fought, but Tom believed that the tension between the two may be put to his advantage. From there, he might even go and ask the werewolves for their compliance. Of course, that was only if things turned out the way he planned them so far. It seemed whatever plans Tom had for the future, his concentration was mostly on the present.

By dinnertime yesterday, I was surprised with a real gift from Tom. He cooked dinner for us. He hadn't done it since our first days in Albania. It was a delicious mushroom soup. I decided to pretend that taking over dinner was a nice combination of both love and gratitude.

"I thought you might like a bit of relaxation for once. And you cherish your memories so much - this might provide a good one," Tom said to me as he poured the soup into my bowl, not looking at me in the eye.

I smiled lovingly at him, looking at his averted eyes. I was always surprised when he mentioned my love for memories. Sometimes I thought he never paid attention to me. "Thank you, my lord. No one has ever been this kind to me."

Tom turned back into the kitchen and said, "Remember Eva, no lies in this house."

He thought I was complimenting him or trying to be polite. I wasn't. "No, my lord, I'm not lying. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating but I'm not lying."

Tom did not respond. He wiped his hands on a towel in the kitchen and walked back to the table. He sat down in front of me, placed his napkin in his lap, and grabbed his spoon. "No matter," he responded.

We sat there sipping our soup. Neither of us talked for a while. I was simply enjoying Tom's company like I always did; yet one question was nagging at me. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"I didn't really," Tom replied softly, without looking up.

"So," I mockingly asked, "you just thought you would throw in whatever and boil some water, and that's how you made it?"

He raised his eyes to glint at me. "I'm not stupid Eva." His eyes went back down to his soup, and he continued. "I didn't learn to cook in the sense of someone taught me. I just used to observe the cooks at my old orphanage. This was my favorite dish. Luckily we were able to have all the ingredients for it."

We ended that night outside, staring at the stars. I had to grovel to make Tom stay outside with me. However, to my delight, he complied. I laid out one of my dress-turned-blankets for us to lie on. The fall weather was chilly, but with Tom lying next to me and pointing out the stars I was warm. I disliked astronomy, but I knew he dabbled in it. I recalled some of what he was saying from the Hogwarts astrology class, but I was mostly focused on how close his body was to mine.

Once Tom finished charting the sky, he took a deep breath then turned toward me. He grabbed my right arm and looked at my Dark Mark. Lazily, he traced his fingers around it and told me, "I should put color on it tomorrow."

I couldn't stand his touch; it was too much. It was partly because the idea of him touching me made me feel ecstatic, but the other part was that he looked at me like I was nothing more than a servant

Although the day was filled with many pleasant memories, I was unhappy. As I lied in my bed that night, I felt like crying. I didn't, but my mixed emotions were still there. They were probably due to the fact that Tom and I now slept in the same bed.

He moved in around the time the weather became cooler, maybe September - I wasn't sure. Although he could have created a warming spell in his study, I was pretty sure that it was the lack of comfortable sleeping space is what made him leave.

At first, I was ecstatic to hear he would be moving inside. He announced it immediately after dinner, very plainly. There was an excitement bubbling in my chest when I first heard him. The feeling quickly turned to fiery anger when he explained that he would take the bed, and I would have the couch. If I had had my wand in my hand, I might have sent a curse flying his way. But as it happened I had no weapon and caved like usual.

Only after a week and a couple days did we both realize I could not sleep on the couch. Tom definitely noticed a change in my attitude due to lack of comfortable sleep. I fought with him much more, and my food, to his great displeasure, began to turn inedible. I was always so sleepy that I would accidentally add too much salt or cook the meat too long. After three dinners in a row were ruined, he conceded.

He and I were next to the bed when he began his speech that third night. "Now listen carefully. If we are going to share this bed there will be rules to follow. Number one: I have the right side and you have the left side. You will never sleep or come to the right side. If you do, I'll send you back to the couch." I nodded trying hard to hide my eagerness. "Number two: never touch me. If you touch me, even accidentally while you are sleeping, you will wake up on the couch. And number three: don't ever get it into your head that we are," he could barely say the next word, "…lovers just because we share a bed. This is out of desperation and necessity. I can see your disgusting thoughts. Eva!"

Once he had said the word "lovers" I couldn't help but imagine the idea that we were. I sniggered softly but not long enough for him to banish me to the couch.

However, last night I found out something about Tom that was strange. I only noticed because he decided to sleep at the same time as me, which was out of the ordinary.

Tom was not terribly tiredd and sat up in bed reading one of his larger books. I noticed him occasionally looking at me. I knew because I was feigning sleep since he rarely read in bed with me. Also because I wasn't able to sleep with the room being lit up. I worked up the timid courage to ask him, "Can we go to sleep and put out the candles?"

"No."

I frowned. "Then can you read in your study?"

He slammed the book shut and a small cloud of dust formed in the air. Then he lied down and turned away from me. But the candles were still lit. "Can you… can you put out the candles please?" I whispered, staring at him awkwardly since I wasn't sure if I should just do it myself.

He didn't answer for almost a minute, which was frustrating. Then as I was about to say something, he replied, "Just go to sleep Eva."

I wanted to complain that it was too bright, but it didn't seem like he was going to budge on this issue. However, I was not sure if I could sleep with all the candles. Usually, when I went to be first, he was in his study and our house was dark. Or, if he did happen to be in the main house, he would only keep the candles near the dining table lit because that was where he worked. But tonight, since he was reading in bed, Tom had the bedside candles lit, which were far too bright to sleep through.

I ventured a silly question to break the tense mood. "Are you afraid of the dark or something?"

"No," was his curt reply which held no indication that he wanted to play along with me.

I sighed exasperatedly. "Then why must they be lit?"

"Why must you talk?" he barked as he turned onto his side to face me. He paused. "It's your birthday, but that doesn't give you the power to control me. Far from it, Eva."

I instantly regretted my attitude towards him. "I'm sorry my lord. I just…"

He pushed himself up with his elbow so that he would overshadow me as he lectured. "Will you get it through your head? I know you to be occasionally slow, but you're not entirely stupid. I will not be your lover. Neither will you be mine, so stop thinking that way. You drive me insane with that constant banter in your mind that you will convince me of love. No such thing will happen. You better learn that now, or I will have to get rid of you. And that would be a loss."

I felt like I couldn't keep my tears in, but I instead turned my back and shut my eyes. Sleep was hard to get to, but it came eventually. Tom never put out the candles.

But today was Sunday, which was great since it meant a two-day break. This morning, I decided to make my spicy potato dish. We ate in silence until I informed him, "You know, you made me miss Druella's wedding."

"Did I?" he asked with no interest whatsoever.

"Yes," I replied curtly. "Yesterday I got an owl from Druella saying that her sister, Carina, is getting married next year. I was really hoping that we could go."

"Why do you think we left England so abruptly?" Tom abruptly dropped his cutlery and glared at me. I didn't respond. "Because there are wizards there that want to destroy me. I need to stay hidden from them until I am ready to reveal the true Lord Voldemort to the world."

"I understand, my lord. But Carina isn't having her wedding in England. It's going to be in France."

Tom went back to eating, but he was still frowning. After a minute of silence and letting my idea sink into his head, he asked me, "Who is she marrying?"

"Arthur Macnair."

"Why France?" he questioned. "None of them are French."

"No, I don't believe so. I'm not sure why they are getting married there. Perhaps they just liked the idea of getting married in the French countryside."

"I suppose."

"Does that mean we can go?" I hoped.

"No."

"Oh Tom! Why not? Are you against weddings now too?" He ignored me and continued to eat. "It's Arthur Macnair's wedding so I'm sure we would run into our school mates. They were obsessed with you then, and I'd take a chance that they still are. Since we're trapped out here" he gave me a glance, unhappy with my word choice, "I think it would be good to gain some allies back in Britain."

Tom continued to eat, considering the thought. He put down his fork and began to rub his chin. His eyes became empty as his thoughts deepened. After a long pause he said to himself, "They would all be together in one place. The event would make a decent cover."

"Oh yes, it would most definitely my lord," answering a question he didn't ask, but ending it with something to inflate his ego.

He continued to muse it over. I went back to scraping the edges of my plate in order to get all of the sauce onto my last potato. "Please say yes," was my constant mental plea. It would be wonderful to get out of here. It's only been five months, yet I am desperately missing the company of other people - normal people.

A slow smirk came across his face. His eyes still stared out into the distance. He said, "They were very useful, weren't they. Sometimes I set the standards of magic too high, and everyone ends up disappointing me. But as I look back on it, I ended up with a lot of useful information because of their efforts."

"And think of the information they could give you now! They are proper wizards in society. They could give you heaps of new information, about the Ministry, about Hogwarts, about the …" that was all I could think of, so I hoped he could outthink me and fill in the gaps. He broke off his thoughts and watched me to flail for an answer. "Well, about the… you know, everything that's happening in the wizard world." Still not the best answer. His eyes were playful. He enjoyed watching me struggle for a convincing reason to go to the wedding.

"Diagon Alley!" I burst out. "That's one thing you could learn from them. Maybe someone could open a new shop, and you … need to know." I mumbled the last of my words. He suddenly appeared thoughtful.

"Actually," Tom said, "there is some merit in that idea. I might find some good connections between my old classmates. My contacts from Borgin and Burkes are running dry."

I stared at him, not sure what else to say, but thrilled in my heart to now that I came up with an idea of 'merit.'

I watched him finish his thoughts, look at his last potato piece, and then glance up at me. The edges of his mouth curled slightly - the beginning of a smile but never fully formed. My heart jumped again, excited to see him give me a genuine happy look. I couldn't help but smiling back.

His brows raised so that his face gave the look he made when he was waiting for me to hurry up. I looked down at my plate and saw that there was nothing left. I stood up and grabbed my plate and his. He cleared his throat a little and said, "You could say, 'You're welcome, my lord.'"

I frowned a little at him as I looked down on him in the chair. "For what?"

He rolled his eye halfway, and said, "We're going to the wedding."

"Oh!" I grinned happily at him. "Fantastic! Thank you."

I turned towards the sink, and heard his chair slide out. Tom coughed slightly to get my attention. I turned back to him, while I charmed the sink to begin pumping water.

"Even though it's Sunday, we didn't do anything yesterday and that is a long enough break. When you're done, we'll search the forest for the rest of the day till sundown."

I sighed and frowned internally at him. My recently ignited heart was just as quickly doused. I couldn't argue back. "Yes, my lord," I said disappointedly.

After I had cleaned up in the kitchen, Tom already left. I walked towards the forest and saw all the red rings Tom and I had put around the trees months ago. I Apparated to where I had last stopped and walked towards the nearest untouched tree. I absentmindedly looked through the unbranded trees to see if there were any holes or spots a crown or a diadem could be nestled into. After an hour of fruitless search, I suddenly snapped.

"Why am I doing this? This is so ridiculous. A diadem…why on earth would he be looking for a diadem. And in Albania of all places! Stupid, bloodly stupid. I bet someone found it and ran off. What are you going to do then Tom? Hmm?" My mind rampant of anger and frustration. A servant: that's all I was and all I would ever be to him. Didn't he realize how much I loved him? I kept asking myself all of these stupid questions without any way towards an answer. Instead of blaming myself, I simply complained about him. It did make me feel better, letting off a little steam.

"And what do you need a crown for anyways? So that you can parade around, proclaiming how great you are. I wish he would just –" I immediately stopped when I heard a smooth, bright voice interrupting me.

"Talking to yourself?"

I was more upset than embarrassed to be caught. I huffed and turned around, expecting Tom since there was no one else in this forest. At the moment, I felt an urge to truly give him a piece of my mind. Yet it wasn't Tom that stood in front of me.

A creature with a lion's body and bat-like wings stared at me in the direction from where the voice came from. Its fur was red like blood. Its head was that of an older but strangely handsome man. The creature had a menacing stare. It almost felt like it was assessing my body like a butcher would to flesh. It didn't calm my fears either when I saw it lick its lips.

I stood there with my mouth slightly open, my eyes as wide as they were in my third year after seeing the Hogwarts beast. Its scorpion tail slowly raised above its body and was aimed directly at me.

His voice sounded like trumpet as he spoke to me again. "Oh, don't be frightened. When I strike you, you'll be dead right away. Very painless."

He was going to kill me, I thought. I backed away as slowly as I could, very afraid. My voice became dry, and I couldn't scream. I eventually backed up into something. I turned quickly and saw I was cornered into a tree trunk. I whipped my head back towards the strange lion creature. He was coming closer, and as he lifted up a paw he showed his razor sharp claws, which looked to be dripping with some sort of liquid. I felt my way around the tree and rolled behind it just in time to miss the sharp claws of the beast.

I swallowed what saliva I could, and I screamed louder than I ever had before, "TOM!"

Right when I finished screaming, the beast was thrown to into a tree by a burst of wind. Luckily it was no ordinary burst of wind. Tom was suddenly to my right with his wand pointed towards the animal. He had an extremely calm expression for the situation, very opposite of my terrified one. In disdain he talked the creature. "Manticore, what are you doing here?"

The manticore got up off the forest floor with menace in his eyes. He growled at Tom and said, "Looks like double the morsels."

Tom kept his cool and stared back at the creature with intimidating stare. "You don't want to pick a fight with me. Answer me, what are you doing here in Albania of all places? You should be in Indonesia."

Tom shot a yellow-colored spell at the creature which landed directly between his eyes. The manticore suddenly became frightened and paranoid. He began to circle around like he was trapped. The man's head let out a great lions growl and stared at Tom, afraid. "I am an outcast! I need food, or I will die. Please, spare me, and I will not harm you…or the girl."

Tom's free hand rubbed his smooth chin in thought. "An outcast? Well, I have no need for you then."

He raised his wand and let out a flourish. A bright green light jetted out, and the manticore let out an awful yell before he was killed, preventing my ears from hearing the spell. Even so, I knew what Tom had said.

I was breathing hard and could feel my heart in my chest. I wanted to thank Tom for saving my life again, but the words just couldn't make it out as I saw the glassy terrified eyes of the dead creature.

Tom looked at me but talked to himself. "Manticores are no good, really. They only attack humans if food is scarce. And just because they can speak doesn't make them intelligent. But who knows, I may try and communicate with them later on."

Then he focused his full attention on me. "You weren't scared were you?" Then he said a little sarcastically, "I thought you weren't afraid of death."

"No…no I'm not," I said softly. Then gaining strength, "It's just, if he were to scratch me or eat at me, it would hurt a lot. I don't like pain." I looked at him, and I knew my eyes were that of a scared, small child. He just laughed.

"Well, there are no more manticores; I took care of that. Continue looking for the diadem until dark. But, I suppose, if you're too shaken up...you can go home."

I let out a flustered scoff. "Oh, well. If that's the case–"

Before I could finish, he grabbed my arm, "It is. But if you can sneer like that, then you aren't shaken up. Stop fighting with me and do as you're told."

Despite his words, I wanted to fight it. Tom knew what I was thinking, and so he held onto me tighter. My chest began to fill with regret: regret for ever coming to this place and the regret of being afraid of Tom. My damned emotions wanted to make me cry and scream at the same time, but I held back. How could he be so mean, thoughtless, and uncaring? Why am I still with him? What does he want?

Tom reacted to what I was thinking and said, "I want that diadem, that's what I want."

I replied to him in my thoughts, thinking "Is it? Is that all you want?

"…Yes," was his mental reply.

My eyes fill up, and I tried as hard as I could to stop the tears from flowing. I wouldn't let myself look weak in front of him. Why was I crying, at this time of all times. Tom was driving me crazy to the point where I didn't even know what I was doing any more.

"You're lying! What is that stupid crown going to do for you?"

"With it, I'll live forever…to keep your promise."

I gasped quietly in the way one does before they start to cry. I couldn't look at Tom any more. He loosened his grip, and I took the chance to pull away. I felt rage suddenly coursing through my body, making my nerves jitter. I jumped away and screamed at him, "Why can't you just admit it! Why, Tom, why? Just say it out loud! Say you love me! Say you care for me! Say something!"

There was a light autumn breeze that brought a whirl of red and brown leaves around us. There was no noise other than the birds singing in the distance. The terror I expected came. Tom looked at me, enraged. His mouth tightened so much so that it looked as if he didn't have any lips. His hand made a shaky fist around his wand. He frowned further at me, and I swore his eyes started to have glints of red in them. Half of me would have liked nothing better to do than push him off the edge to hear what he was holding back from me, but the other, logical half of me said there will be dire consequences if I were to do so. Consequences in which, most likely, I would be hurt and lose Tom forever. So I stayed quiet.

A cold, threatening voice escaped Tom's lips. I wished never to hear that voice again after this day. "Go back to the house. I don't want to see you for the rest of the week. And if I do…" his head shook with fury thinking about it. At that moment, I picked up my dress and ran as home as fast as I could, without turning back once.


	11. December 31, 1947

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Tom's birthday, and they meet a boggart.

Albania  
(1947-1957)

December 31, 1947

I woke up early today to make Tom a special breakfast for his birthday. To make sure I would arise before him, I slept very lightly. My mind would wake me up every hour or so to make sure Tom was still asleep. For once, I wanted to surprise him, and why not on his birthday? As I slowly and carefully crawled out of the left side of the bed, I heard Tom roll and grumble in his sleep. I held my breath, afraid that I had waked him. But his eyes never opened.

Once I was in the kitchen I looked for all the ingredients I would need to make him some hotcakes. My grain crop had yielded well for how small it was. (I did give it a little help, with magic of course.) I had enough flour to probably last until spring. I looked out the kitchen window to see the sun's early glow but it was missing. Our first winter in Albania had been more rain and wind than any snow. Today I saw a storm brewing, covering the morning light. The fog in the valley met the grey clouds above making one big blanket over the land. Over the light clatter of my utensils I could hear the forest birds singing and the waves' constant crashing.

Butter had been hard to come by in the past. That was until we stole a goat. I heard him braying along with the birds outside, mostly likely foretelling another rainstorm. I had begged Tom, after we got him a couple months ago, to make a little shelter for him. He reluctantly complied. I named the goat Edward to go along with my royal chickens, which were surprising quiet this morning.

Though I couldn't tell for sure because of the rainclouds, the sun had just risen above the mountains by the time I was done mixing all the ingredients together and about to pour them out on the pan coated with melted butter. I never made them with goat butter before and hoped it would taste alright.

After flipping one, I set it aside to cool and ripped off a piece to sample. The soft fluffiness hit my mouth, and it was hot and delicious; but it needed something else. I searched low in my cabinets for that something, and then I found exactly what I wanted: walnuts. Perfect.

After adding the nuts in, I poured ten more of the little hotcakes and placed them on the table. I set it up as nicely as possible, remembering what my mother told me about setting the table. I dusted off an old table cloth that was shoved in the bottom of the dresser. Even as I opened the drawer, Tom continued to sleep. He must have stayed up fairly late last night to be sleeping after sunrise. As a final touch, I transfigured a spare fork into a vase and a spoon into a silvery, metal bouquet.

I sat at the table facing the kitchen and smelling the cakes while watching the steam rise off them. Instantly my eyes were pulled to the kitchen window when I heard a sudden rumble from outside. I watched as the water from the sky crashing down onto the trees. The rooftop drummed from the bombardment of rain. We had gone through a couple of rainstorms already to find out our roof leaked - everywhere. With some work, we managed to fix all the leaks, so I wasn't worried this time.

I turned my head to Tom to see if he would wake up. I did not have a desire to wake up early since he would be extremely cranky. After spending over half a year with him by ourselves in these remote cabins, I knew him very well. Everything had to be done just so – if not his wrath would come. Yet, by putting it that way made it seem like every moment was like walking through broken glass. It may have been like that in the beginning, but the past two months were close to pleasant.

That was because I made the difficult decision to suppress my romantic feelings for Tom. After he had saved me from the manticore, I ran back to the house, locked myself in the bathroom, and cried for hours. When I exited, I became a newfound spirit. Be that I was terribly in love with Tom, right now in our relationship he simply could not, or would not, love me back. I think after pushing him so far and, still, he would not admit it made that very clear. I truly did not let him set eyes on me for that week. (I slept in his study and made my meals when he was out of the house.) The eighth day he barged into the smaller shack and told me to make us breakfast and pack us lunch, like nothing happened.

From that time on, I just accepted my job as his servant. And in a way, things did get much simpler. I took much more enjoyment in tending the garden and cooking. I wasn't his slave – this was my new job. And, yes, I wasn't getting paid, but surely, I was getting experience. Tom showed me a lot of new spells, and we were able to gather multitudes of flora for potions. The Albanian forest was full of rare magical plants, like gillyweed, bloodvine (good for getting rid of magical stains), Morgana's Fan (makes healing potions work faster), and so on. I dried and ground them to powder to mail to Druella and Norma. Norma was kind enough mail me back calendars I had requested for 1947 and 1948. (That was how I knew exactly when Tom's birthday would be).

Tom and I had a better relationship as well. We were able to have more open conversations – we actually laughed a lot more. It was nice, just being Tom's friend rather than trying to be his lover. But in the middle of the night, if I woke up to candlelight and saw his handsome, sleeping face, I couldn't deny that I wanted more from him. But at this time, I would just have to wait.

The rain pounding on the roof did eventually wake Tom up, so I didn't have to wait any longer to eat. He sat on the edge of the bed groggily, running his hands through his hair. Then he laid his eyes on me. "Happy birthday!" I said happily, but hopefully not too excitedly for his sleepy state.

Tom huffed as he sat up. He ignored me, grabbed his wand off the dresser, and went straight to the bathroom. After a minute, he emerged still looking tired but with a freshly washed face. Now that it was cold, he stopped shaving as often. I know he didn't care for his short beard because he constantly picked at it; however it kept his face warm. He was lucky that he could be handsome regardless.

He slowly walked to the other chair and sat down. Then he stared at his empty plate. I stood up and leaned over the table to put three hot cakes onto his plate. "Enjoy your birthday breakfast," I said and smiled. He obliged and took five more off the plate. That left only two for me. I pouted a little, but decided to just make more for myself.

Tom didn't talk the whole time he ate and even when he was done eating. I didn't find it unusual - simply irritating since I expected him to be a little livelier for his birthday. To break the ice, I said to him from the counter where I was adding the ingredients together, "You turned twenty-one today, right?"

He didn't reply right away. I heard him shift his chair around so that he could look at me while he talked. "Yes, Eva. It's been twenty-one years since the day I was born," he said unenthusiastically. I turned to look back him as I mixed the batter in a bowl. "And it's been over five years since I met you," he commented with a bit more pleasant tone.

I proudly smiled back at him, happy to know that I was Tom's most trusted servant.

We stayed silent, which was typical. Yet there were some times where he would allow me to talk on and on about memories I had in my life. It was easy to talk or not talk to Tom now that my mind wasn't plagued with thoughts of whether he loved me or not. I finished making the batter. I glanced down to the skillet resting on the stove and saw it needed more butter. I placed the bowl of batter upon the countertop and reached down to the cabinet to the right of the sink to get the butter. I had charmed that section of space with a freezing charm to mimic the iceboxes we had in England. I pulled the curtain halfway, but then it suddenly slid back to its original position. I looked down at the kitchen curtain, horribly confused, and tried opening it again. For a second time, it pulled itself back. There was something amiss.

"My lord," I said slowly, turning to look for my wand. "I think you need to come over here."

He obliged and came to see what I wanted. This time I grabbed my wand before trying to pull open the curtain again. Tom always held his. The curtain slid closed again after I opened it half way, like the times before. "Back up," he told me curtly with his wand pointing at the curtain. He could sense something was off too.

I obeyed Tom and stood next to our half empty washing tub filled with dirty water and old soap scuds from a couple days ago. I watched as Tom said a curse that sent a piece of the kitchen counter flying off, barely missing me. I stared at the broken wood pieces on the ground and thought of what would happen if it had hit me in my face. Tom was so reckless and uncaring sometimes. I turned to glare at him.

However, standing in front of me was not one Tom, but two.

One was holding up his wand, with a wide-eyed, ashen look that I had never seen before and never wanted to see on Tom's beautiful face ever again. Others would have said his expression turned to anger, but I knew the way he quivered his wand was different than the way he would if he was furious. The other Tom Riddle was floating in midair, right in front of the scared Tom. His eyes were glazed over, like the chickens I had killed or the dead manticore. His mouth was open slightly, and his face was ashen. I was seeing a dead Tom Riddle in front of my eyes, and it made me more terrified than I had ever felt.

To my horror, the body swiveled around and faced me. Slowly the corpse made its way towards where I was standing. I tripped on the wooden, counter pieces underneath and almost fell into the washing tub. I quickly pushed the tub and washboard away with my hands as I fell onto the ground. My head smacked the floor, but I picked myself up as fast as I could. I rapidly crawled towards the wall to half-way climb back up, but I knew I was trapped. I strangely believed that this was the real Tom and that he was coming to carry me off to the underworld with him. It seemed so real. All I could do was scream.

In the blur of my mind I saw the whole room fly upwards. The walls cracked and splintered, but I kept screaming as Tom's lifeless eyes inched closer towards me. Maybe he had already dragged me down to hell with him.

The frightened, but alive, Tom woke out of his stupor. He whipped his wand as if it was a real whip and shouted, "Riddikulus!"

A sharp crack came, and the corpse-Tom turned into snake and slithered away through the crack under the front door.

I stopped screaming and immediately the bed, dresser, table, chairs, and couch came slamming down into the packed-dirt floor. My chest rose and fell like the waves of the ocean outside, crashing on the cliff our house was on. The only words I could think to say were, "What…what was that?"

Tom was paler than usual, but somehow managed to look as though he was not ruffled at all by what happened. "It was…just a boggart."

"A what?" I grabbed the back of my head. I must have landed on it when I fell because I was getting a nasty headache.

"Boggart, you heard me. Didn't you pay attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Tom snapped.

I ignored his tone. "Yes, but…I didn't really understand…why was it your corpse?"

"It changes into the thing that the victim fears the most. You fear my death, obviously, and so it turned into my corpse."

No. Somehow that wasn't right. I explained further, "But my lord, you were the one looking at it when it first emerged. You were its first victim, not me."

Tom helped me off the floor but continued holding onto my wrist. He stared at me and said, "I'm not concerned about the boggart. I'm more concerned with the fact that you never told me you had mind-moving powers."

"Oh… I did move the furniture didn't I?" I sheepishly looked at the cracked dresser, bent chairs, the table décor thrown on the floor, and lopsided bed. "It only happens when I get really scared or upset. Other than that, I can't even lift a feather."

Tom let go of me quickly, and his demeanor brightened. "Well, I'm very impressed. I should start teaching you how to control it. When did you first find out?"

"When I was young. Mother came home late, and I was in a fit. That was when we lived in the Muggle flats. I got beat so bad because Mum had to make up such a story to explain everything flying around." I couldn't help but laugh nervously, remembering my mother's shocked face as well as the oblivious Muggles.

Tom chuckled as well, probably because he had a similar experience. "Yes," he said thoughtfully, "Performing magic in front of Muggles is strangely satisfying – their faces are so aghast." He gave a real laugh this time.

After he calmed down, he asked me, "So she didn't get around training you? Perhaps she didn't know how?"

I sighed and sat down on the bed, which was close to me. My hands were still shaking from the boggart experience. "No. She said that she was going to, but she died pretty soon after that." My emotions were beginning to turn into waves of sadness recalling those hard times. I stared at my feet and began to wring my hands to prevent them from shaking further. Tom didn't say anything. Despite my instinct, I suddenly felt like I should tell him everything. I raised my head to look at Tom in the face. He began to work on fixing the dresser, but he noticed me staring at him.

I began my story. "I found her when I came from the kitchen to bring her a fresh cup of tea. She was just sitting there, in the chair, with a glass of wine next to her. In those times, she always had wine at tea time. I had never seen her so still or cold in my life. I overheard the Ministry workers saying that the wine was actually poison. She killed herself. My father…well he killed himself too." Suddenly, I couldn't say anymore. I went back to staring at the floor, remembering my mother's cold lifeless body. I briefly thought about my father's death, of which I had heard from Mother. It was strange, but I had never told anyone, ever, that my parents committed suicide. Not even my precious album knew this secret.

I felt the need to explain more, "I don't know what I did wrong. Everything seemed to be getting better. We had just made a cake the other day. Chocolate: my favorite." I started to choke on my words and tears slowly slid down my cheeks. I got up quickly off the bed and walked away from Tom. I couldn't bear him to look at me, so I kept my head down. I didn't want him to see me like this. I walked quickly to the bathroom. Tom never moved at all.

I slammed the door. With what I could manage, I uttered a silencing spell to the room so he wouldn't hear me. Then the suppressed thoughts of my mother's death overtook me. I was crying horribly, not in a beautiful delicate manner that some girls do.

Why did she die? What did I do so wrong that she would rather die than raise me? My father even killed himself because of me. He wasn't ready to take care of a child, my mother had claimed. So he decided to end his life. Was I that horrible, that my own parents would rather face death than love me? And the only person I seemed to love more than my own life wouldn't even admit to his feelings for me. What was wrong with me? What did I do? More and more tears kept streaming down, making my clothes and hands wet. My breath became ragged as well. Then I remembered it was Tom's birthday. Some birthday this was turning out to be.

I tried to calm myself and breath in and out till the tears had subsided. I exited the bathroom with as much grace as I could muster. Wiping tears away from my eyes, I saw Tom had fixed the bed, the dresser, and the chairs. He was cooking more hot cakes by the stove. His face was much calmer than it had been before. He caught my eye and simply stared at me, probably reading my thoughts.

"I-I'm sorry. That was rude of me, my lord."

He was serious when he said, "Apology accepted." He went back to cooking. I turned around and decided to make the bed. He was just starting to eat the fresh batch of hot cakes when I came over to the table to put the decorations away. He waved his hand for me to sit down and eat with him instead. As I ate, I realized how hungry I was. By my third cake Tom started to talk.

"I told you that my mother died from childbirth, but I never told you what happened to my father." He paused, and I looked at him in his grey eyes. They were icy. "I killed him."

I immediately looked back at my plate of half a cake. I felt my pulse speed up at this newfound information. But he continued talking.

"I've never told a soul that. But he deserved it, along with his loathsome parents. He was scum of the earth, leaving my mother and me." Then his voice brightened. "But I took care of it. I am Lord Voldemort, the master of death."

Hearing that he murdered his father was a bit of a shock. It made sense though; I really wouldn't expect anything different from Tom, but I was slightly disturbed nonetheless. We continued eating in silence but something began to nag at me. I thought back to how the boggart first saw Tom when he became a corpse. Just now, he described himself as "master of death." Did Tom become a master because Tom his true fear is death?

I finished eating. The conversation took a turn that made me not hungry. But after this morning's somewhat terrifying and emotional ordeal, I felt I was entitled to a few answers. "My lord, if you are master of death, are you saying that you have conquered it? That you won't die?"

Tom almost rolled his eyes at me. "Playing dumb again are we? I've told you this over and over, Lord Voldemort will not die."

"Really?" I looked at him genuinely. Ever since I fell in love with him at Hogwarts I knew he was different from everyone else. But it wasn't his looks or his genius ability. It was his confidence, his seemingly lack of fear. Was he afraid of death? Is that why he was using up his youth to find a way to defeat it? Had he already defeated it? "You've found a way to beat death… truly? Everyone dies though my lord," I whispered.

He heard and replied more fiercely than before, "Not me. Everyone else is too stupid to find a way, but I found it and I won't die."

I caught my breath. Memories of the Chamber were flashing in my mind. I remembered him clutching that small leather book happily screaming that he would live forever. Was that spell, or curse even, upon the book the secret to his immortality?

I blurted out unexpectedly, "My mum told me she wouldn't die… and then she did. How am I supposed to believe that you alone of have defeated death?"

Though at first he seemed upset, he paused, and his face turned calm. He studied me, almost leaning a bit towards me over the table. I could feel him in my mind. I couldn't tell for sure when he casually read my thoughts, so I had to assume he always was. However, if he went into my mind in search of memories or whether I was telling the truth I could feel it. The sensation was difficult to describe, but the closest thing would be like searching for a name of someone from long ago. You go through memory by memory trying to connect them together to come up with the name of this old acquaintance but it never seems to come to you. That is the closest I could describe as to what it felt like when Tom searched your mind.

Then he stopped, and his face was full of curiosity. He told me in a faraway voice, "You'll believe me like you always have. But…"

He paused and stood up. His chair brushed against the floor, and the rain outside was clearing up. Standing above me, he grabbed my right arm so that the Dark Mark was visible to both of us. His face leaned in close to me, and there was a smirk upon it.

"You're mother's death isn't what it seems."

My brows furrowed, and I became angry. I pulled my arm away and barked at him. "Why are you saying that? You weren't there!"

He laughed in an unpleasant way. "No, that's true. But I can see in here," he said tapping his temple with his wand. "And what I see is not what you remember."

I stood up as well, feeling my chest bursting with emotion. Where was this conversation going? First he tells me that he has conquered death, and then that I don't remember the terrible event of my mother's death!

"My lord," I growled through clenched teeth. "What are you trying to incite from me?"

His face went serious, and he held his hands up as if he was surrendering. "I swear, I'm not trying to provoke anything. I just thought I'd let you know that those precious memories of yours are not all as they seem." I wanted to interrupt him with angry words, but he continued before I could. "Listen Eva! I don't know exactly what happened with your mother's death, but the story you are telling me is not what I found in your head. I honestly couldn't see anything, just like the memory of your vision. It was blank."

His last words rang through my mind like a nightmare. If my memories of my mother's death was blank how on earth did I remember it? None of this made sense, and I felt myself become uneasy with Tom. Could I trust him now? If he was lying about my memories couldn't he be lying about him finding a way to live forever?

"I… I think I need a breath of fresh air," I said as I half-walked, half-ran to the door. Once outside I could see the morning sun breaking through the lifting fog. Everything smelled wonderful as it always does after the rain. But being here in the forest made everything smell, feel, and look so much more beautiful. Thankfully it did ease my nerves, and I was able to calm down enough to take deep breaths of the crisp air. The chickens began there unending chatter, and Edward the goat kept bleating at me from his shelter. I went over to him and fed him some feed that was outside of his reach. I opened the gate and let him roam free to enjoy the freshly washed grass. Ever since we had taken him in, our meadow had shrunk from our knees to our ankles.

I heard Tom emerge from the doorway but I didn't turn around to look at him. And he obliged by marching away towards the other shack. I shook my head in frustration. Was Tom trustworthy? Has he been lying to me this whole time about what his purpose is and what his powers are? No, I told myself firmly. He's proven his knowledge and power numerous times, at Hogwarts and out here in the wild.

Then why on earth was he telling me these strange things all of a sudden. That my own memories were bad? Perhaps he was simply trying to get me off the subject of him being afraid of his own death.

As I was staring off into the ocean, Tom snuck up behind me. I craned my neck to him, but I still didn't feel like talking.

"Well," he started out cautiously, "The sun is now up, and it doesn't seem like it will rain so let's get started searching the forest. We can come back for lunch as a break."

I stared incredulously. "Truly? We are still going to search this bloody forest for that ruddy diadem! Why can't we just accio it to come to us?" I yelled the last part without thinking, but in the silence that followed I wondered why I hadn't thought of that idea when we first came to Albania.

Tom crossed his arms on his chest, twirling his wand in one hand. He answered me matter-of-factly, "Because it was cursed, so we have to look for it by hand."

I bit my tongue from being even more disrespectful to him since I could tell I was reaching his capacity. Slowly I asked him, "Then why is this cursed crown so important?" He was going to speak, but I began before he could. "Yes, I know that it will help you live forever – but how my lord? How?" I turned my head away from him and back to look at the calming, ocean waves. "I don't know if I can believe you anymore," I whispered as I yet again felt betrayed by Tom.

"Now look here Eva. Why would I lie to you? I know it's a stretch to ask you to use your intelligence, but indulge me for a moment. You suddenly don't trust me because of what I saw-or didn't see-of your mother's death, correct? So if I were lying to you about that, wouldn't I make it less obvious than telling you that your own memories are false?"

He paused wanting me to take in the full impact of his words. I didn't want to agree with him, yet all the same I saw some light in his words.

"I-I just think I need more substance than your words alone."

Tom sounded frustrated as he spoke. "You want me to show you? Do you even understand what it takes to live forever? What I've done? Is that what it's going to take for you to start listening to me and not your own confused thoughts? You are so stupid. Don't you realize that I've already shown you?" My mind automatically went back to the Chamber, and I made a small gasp realizing I had been on the right path. He smiled with dark eyes, "Now you remember. But you are just missing one piece of it. To satisfy your curiosity and to end this ridiculous conversation, I'll tell you. However, once I do, you can never leave me – or I really will kill you."

I turned to look at him in the eye, to measure his sincerity. As I turned he grabbed my arms lightly and pulled me towards him. My heart raced, and I tried very hard to suppress my romantic feelings. His face leaned close to mine. His grey eyes bored into mine, and, although I wanted to break his stare, I felt entranced.

He whispered, "It takes an act of pure evil - enough to split my soul. I've already split my soul twice. And I've stored the torn pieces in a safe place. You can try to kill me if you like, when I'm not looking. But you won't be able to. This body may be destroyed, but I will have my soul. And I will live eternal."

My stomach caught in my throat. Whatever I thought about him previously had been wiped away by his voice. No longer did I question his validity. I could see through most of his lies, and this was not one of them. "I believe you my lord," I said in an almost inaudible voice.

He grabbed my chin with his right hand and inspected me from head to toe. It was strange having him touch me. Although we slept in the same bed and lived in the same house, he rarely touched my bare skin. "You've grown beyond the timid little girl I knew long ago." I swallowed. This closeness between us was becoming too much for me to handle.

Then, as soon as it began, he backed away from me. His hand let go of my face but instead snatched my hand like a handshake. "Now," he started with his wand pointed towards our hands. "I'm making sure you will keep your word to never tell anyone this."

I watched as he mumbled a spell that I was unable to hear. My hand became very hot, and my tongue started to feel strangely numb. Our hands were wrapped in a soft yellow light which was slowly crawling up my arm to my neck. I looked at him with frightened eyes wondering if he was going to curse my tongue to never speak again. I trusted him now, couldn't he trust me?

A bright flash erupted across the path the light was spreading. Then the spell had ended, and Tom let my hand go. He stared at me composed and commanded, "Now, tell me what I just told you."

I assumed he meant how he was tearing his soul apart for immortality. I started to answer but my tongue was immovable – it wouldn't respond. I frowned at him, then tried to yell at him. That did work, unfortunately. "How dare you Tom – how dare you!"

He grabbed my left arm and twisted. I yelped in pain, but still kept my glare. "Don't call me Tom," he seethed, uttering each word with emphasis. He let go, and I rubbed my sore arm.

His face turned into a smile the next moment, and he seemed excited. "What do you think of my new spell? It works well. But you're the first person I've tested it on so keep an eye out for any flaws."

So I was his test subject as well. I sighed, wondering again why I was putting up with all of this. But then he gently took my hand and Apparated the both of us. I wasn't sure if he meant to take my hand or if he reached out and there it was. Regardless, it made me forgive all wrongs. Just to be close to Tom was fulfilling a deep desire in me that I have been trying so hard to suppress. It didn't make sense, and I knew it – but it felt so right. I could put up with anything curse, spell, or potion he could give me – as long as he stayed by my side.

Our seaside cottage faded away, and the Albanian forest with red ringed tree trunks behind us and virgin ones in front appeared. I couldn't help but sigh as he let go of me. It was time for the diadem search to begin yet again.


	12. February 24, 1948

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Eva visit the vampires again.

Albania  
 **(1947-1957)**

February 24, 1948

The forest was dark and cold as ever. The winter was harsh despite spring around the corner. Tom Apparated us to this dark forest almost an hour ago, yet the sun was long gone by that time. During this past winter, Tom studied cross-continental Apparation thoroughly, devouring book after book on the subject. His efforts paid off, and I was glad to not have spent hours on the broom.

I gathered my wool robes around my neck and breathed warm air into my gloved hands held up to my face. My breath fogged into the air like smoke. Tom didn't seem bothered at all by the cold. He stood a few feet away from me with intent eyes staring into the clearing ahead. I watched his hot breath blow out of his nose and rose into the chilly air. We were waiting near the same snow-covered opening where we had first visited the vampires less than a year ago. Where we stood, the moonlight was blocked by the winter trees. Yet the clearing shone like a heavenly light, glowing with moonlight. The scene was at odds with the fact that undead creatures would soon convene.

Yet it was not soon enough. I was getting impatient that they still had not shown. But I was more upset that we had arrived so early. I could be sleeping.

Our vampire trip was triggered a week ago. Our morning had started off unusually late when I had opened the front door to go outside and get a chicken for that night's dinner. As I walked outside, I noticed there was something at the threshold. Once I looked down, I couldn't stop myself from screaming. A cow's head was laying there - its eyes glassy and blood coming out of orifice. The flies swarming around it came up to my level and began to attack me. I wanted to puke.

I ran back into the bathroom leaving the front door wide open and unfortunately letting the flies inside. As I rushed to the bathroom, I saw Tom jolt past me to the door. He was far more thrilled than I expected. Later, after my nausea had calmed down, he told me it was an invitation from the vampires to discuss his plans with Lord Tympanios.

My upper lip was upturned with disgust as I watched Tom break open the cow head with a spell. I could butcher a chicken for food, but this rotting head was almost too much for me to stand. "If this was an invitation, I would hate to see what a death threat would be," I said holding my nose so I could avoid the worst of the stench. I regrettably could still feel it in my mouth.

Tom was crouching close to the head pointing. He turned to look up at me and said smartly, "If it was a death threat, we'd be dead." I ignored him and watched as a cloud of putrid black smoke rose out of the animal's brain. In the air it etched out the words in English, "Next Full Moon – Midnight."

Tom stood up and smiled. "It seems like Tympanios uses some interesting magic. This is not typical stuff you would see the professors at Hogwarts using – no. This is old magic." He silently awed and appreciated the vampire's handiwork, while I just wanted to get to the bathroom again because the smoke made the air so much smellier.

And so, we arrived on the night of the first full moon, waiting for vampires.

Although Tom did not make me wear a necklace of garlic like last time, he did insist on making me chew and swallow a whole clove. He tried his hardest to make me eat two more but I stood my ground and told him I would when he ate two as well. Our conversation abruptly ended after that. Now my mouth felt like it was rotting, and I couldn't wait for this night to be over to wash it out.

I was sitting down on a tree root with my feet in the snow and my arms wrapped around my knees. Before we left the temperate climate of Albania, I put a warming charm on my robes that would last for a while, but by now I was afraid it would fade out any minute. I watched as Tom began to mildly pace around, letting the dirty snow of the forest crunch under his feet. He wasn't impatient: merely waiting.

My eyes were pulled toward the white clearing as I watched figures of wispy black smoke turned into full-bodied vampires. This time, Tom did not jump right in and introduce himself. He instead waited until they lowered their hoods. Even without his hood lowered, I could tell exactly who Lord Tympanios was. Now that I was able to notice them without fear gripping my mind, I realized he was the shortest one there. However, what he lacked in size, he made up for in stature.

While the rest of the vampires had almost bored looks and bent postures, the vampire Lord was pushing his chest out as much as he could while searching the area with his eyes. He had a slightly impatient, menacing look to him with his thick hair well kept. His dark eyes could have been comely if only his expression was not so fierce. In another life, I might think he was pretty good looking, but he couldn't compare to Tom's handsomeness. Tympanios' arms were crossed around his chest, and he seemed to be searching for something in the forest.

Tom assisted me in rising, and we walked slowly towards the middle of the clearing where the vampires waited and encircled us. When Lord Tympanios caught sight of us his face turned into a wicked grin. "Always this punctual, Parselmouth?"

"I received your message my lord," Tom calmly replied as he bowed. I curtsied to mimic Tom's moved. "Shall we discuss our treaty?"

"Not at this moment," Tympanios said as his hand brushed away Tom's words. His eyes glinted as he began to speak with his accented English. "Last time you were one step ahead of me. You knew all about me and I didn't know a thing about you. Well, all that has changed now, Tom Marvolo Riddle." As he said Tom's full name the wicked smile we had seen earlier reappeared. I could sense Tom flinch, if only a little.

Ever so calmly, Tom replied, "I much prefer Voldemort. It's more appropriate for a Dark Wizard, don't you agree?"

Tympanios gave a short, low laugh. "A person only changes their name if they want to escape their past and what the name carries with it. What are you running away from Tom? You were something of a prodigy at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Why are you hiding out with this… young woman in some abandoned shack in a country that is not of your own? You could be doing something more constructive with your time." He looked me in the eye and winked at me. I suddenly felt every feeling other than comfortable.

I was mostly unnerved by how much information he had gained. Tom made no reaction and answered the vampire quickly. "If you know about my past, then you'll know that I make no exaggerations when I tell you that I will take over the wizarding world. Right now I am offering you the choice to help me now and be first in line to receive whatever you desire."

The vampire lord eyed him with a humorous look on his face. He put one hand on his hip and pointed his other hand at Tom as if he was about to lecture him. "You want to start a war, a world-wide war might I add, but you're not even a soldier. Do you know what war is? Have you ever killed someone?"

Tom answered quickly and defiantly. "Yes I have, and I know that I will kill even more. I have the power and I have the intelligence to defeat anyone. I am simply making a gesture to someone who deserves much more than they are currently accepting."

At this, Tympanios frowned. Suddenly their discussion was turning into an ego battle. The vampire lord raised his hands and snapped his fingers. Instantly, two vampires were holding onto my arms dragging me to Tympanios. They were much stronger than I expected. It felt like a train had ran me over by the time I reached the vampire lord. His rough hands grabbed my jaw and turned my face towards Tom. "Do you understand that in war you will lose your soldiers... and civilians?"

Lord Voldemort's face was unreadable. His hands were at his side, and he held his wand in his right hand casually. I was more than a bit nervous.

The vampire turned my head back towards his face. I was still surprised that, for a vampire, the color of his skin held a normal living consistency. He turned my head side to side, examining my every feature. I tried not to frown at him for treating me like cattle. I hoped he would not bite me and make me a part of his coven.

"What's your name girl?" Tympanios asked me.

I swallowed, trying my hardest not to act afraid. Hopefully he couldn't read minds like Tom. "My name- my name is Eva Smith. I am Lord Voldemort's servant… as well as yours," I added, hopefully to Tom's liking.

The vampire nodded agreeably and let go of my face. As I was going to walk back over to Tom, Tympanios turned to his right and spoke his native language to another vampire.

Everything in the next moment seemed to happen in a blur. The vampire who Tympanios had spoken to rushed out of the circle. He jumped almost right on top of me, and I fell backwards from fright. However he never landed on me. A flash of red burst into the air, and I shielded my eyes from its brightness. In the next moment, the vampire's body thudded to the ground at my feet. On the white snow lied a headless body with a black liquid oozing out of its neck. A few moments later, the body turned into black smoke and faded into the air. The black liquid remained, pooling and bleeding into the white snow. I turned to Tom who was staring calmly back at the vampire lord. His wand was pointed at Tympanios.

To my surprise, Tympanios bursted out an unexpected laugh. He continued to laugh until he held his stomach from pain. While he was laughing Tom continued to keep his wand pointed, and I scrambled up to stand close to his side. After a minute, Tympanios finally regained his composure and yelled at the bloody mess in his language while kicking snow upon it.

"I hated that son-of-a-bitch!" he yelled in English. He regained his composure and continued, "I didn't think you were fast enough to kill him, but you proved me wrong. I admire that." He quickly glanced at one of the woman vampires to his left. She was a blond haired woman with a thin face but had a healthy glow to her skin. The woman did not look at all pleased at the destruction of the other vampire. He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "I know he was your lover Catherine, don't even try to hide it."

She kept staring at the pool of blood as she plainly in a Scottish accent, "I never hid it."

Tympanios rolled his eyes and muttered unidentifiable words under his breath. He then looked at Tom and I. "Well, even though you seem prepared to sacrifice your pawns, I did underestimate your skills to save them."

Then he clapped his hands warmly, and his demeanor brightened. "Forgive me, I have been rude all this time," he started. "Let me give you both a proper introduction. I am the Lord of the Vampires of Southern Europe. No one is above me. These are my three wives," he gestured to the blond woman, a red head on his immediate right, and a pale, brown-haired woman on his left. The first two wives were taller than him and the third was his height. "And these are my vampires." He lifted up his hands and all of them, once human men and women, showed their fangs and snarled at us. I could tell that they were trying to intimidate Lord Voldemort. From the corner of my eye, I saw him lower his wand, but he kept his body alert. I wasn't able to look directly at Tom's face because I was too focused on the vampires near me, afraid that they might grab me again.

They calmed down when Tympanios lowered his arms. "So you, Voldemort, want to control me and use me as your puppet to bring about some imagined world domination?" He spat as he laughed, "I have seen men older and wiser than you try to do the same thing, and you know what happened to them?" He paused, but Tom said nothing. "I ripped them in half with my bare hands," the vampire said in a low voice. He flashed his fanged teeth at me in, what I assumed, was a flirtatious smile. Should I be impressed that he threatened to kill Tom? I wanted to go home so badly, just to be away from these terrifying, undead creatures. Why was he so focused on me, shouldn't the garlic keep them away?

My eyes turned to see one of the vampire lord's wives – the dark-haired, pale one. She hadn't bared her teeth earlier like the rest of the clan. Instead, she simply stared at me. She still was staring at me. Actually, it was more like she was staring through me. She had long chestnut-colored hair and a pretty face, but her eyes were dark and deep. Her mouth was open slightly, and she appeared asleep with her eyes open.

Tom and Tympanios continued their conversation. "You are misunderstanding my intentions my lord," Tom said. "You will not be my puppet – you will be my ally."

"Why do you think I need an ally? I can take care of myself and my coven perfectly fine without some wizard-boy."

"You call yourself Lord Vampire of Southern Europe, but wouldn't Lord Vampire of All be a better title?"

Tympanios folded his arms and cocked his head, "You don't think I tried to make it so? From your words, it's obvious you know nothing about vampire politics. Second of all, why would I want to fight wizards? They, along with the Hunters, know how to kill us."

"But we know how to kill them. More so, the wizarding world would never expect a vampire army – you and I could catch them completely unaware." Tom was speaking eagerly as if he could already envision the invasion.

"'You and I,'" Tympanios repeated. "You think just because you are educated and know a few more spells than others that you can become some great tactician and warlord? I'll admit you are sharper than most wizards I've met. But you seem overconfident, and that is why you will fail."

Tom kept a straight face to my surprise. He usually became agitated when people insult him, and I could see he was trying hard to convince Lord Tympanios.

"I might fail, but not with you on my side." Now Tympanios frowned, seeing the conversation circling. Tom went on, "Let me clarify further. I am not here to hinder you or command you. Do whatever you desire – stay here in Serbia, or you can go find blood in other parts of Europe. If you meet trouble, simply let me know and I will assist you. All I ask is when my time comes for help, you will side with me."

Tympanios said nothing, but he stared intensely at Tom as if he would find truth in his face. I noticed the pale vampire wife staring at me again. But now she appeared to really look at me, not behind or through me. It was like she finally woke up and recognized me. Recognized me for whom, I didn't know. "You…" she whispered.

She lifted up a pale, small hand and held it out towards me, as if to touch me. She slowly walked towards me, exiting the circle. Again and again, she repeated the word "you." Everyone stayed silent, and the vampire wife made the only sound in the clearing. As soon as she was feet away from me, the vampire lord snapped.

He grabbed her arm and dragged her back to him. "Ko, Mirjam, ko?" he whispered harshly.

She sighed heavily and broke her trance and said in English, "I thought…I thought I knew her." Mirjam took a second glance at me. "I don't." And as suddenly as she came out of it, she went back into the circle and her expression returned to the sleep-like state.

I looked at Tom with worry about what Mirjam saw in me. She didn't look at all familiar to me, so I had no idea what the vampire-wife was talking about. Tom paid no attention to me, as always.

"Do we have an agreement then?"

"No! What are we agreeing to? So far you have given me nothing but empty promises. I have not seen such foolhardiness in a century. To teach you a lesson, I should tear you apart this instance in front of your woman."

"My promises are not empty, and I told you –" but he couldn't finish. Mirjam interrupted them by advancing upon me like a flash of light. With her hands, she began to touch my face like a blind woman. I was terribly nervous, and I became frozen. Her hands were like ice. Though she touched my face gently, I could sense the power that lied within her muscles and ligaments. She too could easily rip me apart. Tympanios and Voldemort simply stared at us. Both had such confusion in their faces that in a different light I would have laughed. Tympanios opened his mouth and spat at her in their language, but I assumed he said, "What the hell are you doing, Mirjam?"

She didn't respond, and so Tympanios seized her shoulders and pulled her off me. She turned her head slowly to look at him with dead eyes. The vampire lord snarled at her. In the next moment he slapped her face. The crack sounded like ice breaking, and it appeared quite painful. But Mirjam didn't fight back. She slowly walked back to his side and threw her hood over her face.

Completely without thinking, I gasped and shouted, "No, don't!"

Tympanios turned on me, his eyes flashing with anger. "Do you know who you are talking to, wench? How dare you command me!" Then the vampire lord hissed in Parseltongue and raised his hand up. I immediately became wrapped up tightly with a large snake. Right next to me Tom hissed back in Parseltongue, quite angrily. The snake fell off of my body and disappeared into a wispy black smoke.

The young-looking Tympanios smirked dangerously at Tom and said, "You had better learn to control your woman, Parselmouth."

"At least I don't have to slap mine into submission," Tom said back, with equal distaste in his mouth.

That time, Tom had pushed his luck too far. Tympanios waved his hand in an angry motion, and we were surrounded by vampires. I could feel their breath on my skin and their blood-stained teeth were so close. Tom quickly grabbed my arm, tight enough to hurt me, and we Disapperated back to the lonely shack on the cliff, away from the murderous vampires.

It wasn't pitch-black in Albania, like it had been with the vampires. Instead, a dark blue sky hovered above us. The sea-salted winds hit my face, and I wanted Tom to let go of me so I could escape to the shack. However, he didn't let go of my arm. He shot out protective spells all around the area. I assumed they must have been to deter any vampires who wanted to follow us and finish us off, but I did not study vampire magic like Tom had been. Once he finished, he kept his tight hold on me and dragged me into the house. He ended his tantrum by throwing me onto the couch, or so I thought.

Tom Riddle looked at me with livid, red eyes, and I realized it was just the beginning. He pulled out his wand and pointed it right at my chest. Suddenly, I was terrified. This time I really had pushed too far. Yet, of all the things for him to confront me on, this was it? I didn't even mean to yell at the vampire – it was a gut reaction.

Tom was huffing as I thought over everything that occurred, still keeping his wand pointed at me. All I could do was shirk away further into the couch and avoid his stare.

Tom asked me slowly in a low voice but rose higher in pitch until he practically screeched my name. "What did I tell you before we left, Eva?"

My mind went blank from fear. I tried hard to think back to when we were here at the shack, before we had left, but I didn't remember anything. Only "hurry up," and "we'll be Apparating."

His voice went higher and colder than I had heard before, and it sent shivers down my back. His features contorted and for once, he did not look beautiful. "Do you not remember me saying to keep your mouth shut unless spoken to?" he yelled.

Then it dawned on me, in an awful avalanche sort of way. He give me that command. But it was such a common statement that I had forgotten that he said it. Now I realized I made a big mistake. There was nothing I could do except apologize. "I'm sorry my lord. I truly am sorry," I whispered, my eyes trying to avoid his evil stare.

Tom put his wand up to my neck and bent down so that I had no choice but to see him eye to eye. His eyes were knife-like, and I wanted to run away, run away from everything. At that moment, I suddenly didn't know what I saw in Tom.

His harsh whisper almost made me cry if I hadn't been so incredibly scared out of my wits. "You are worthless."

My head was against the couch as far as it could be. Tom was still in my face staring intently, wanting some sign of weakness or some sign of breaking down. I gave him his satisfaction from my quivering mouth and breathing deeply in preparation for tears. I tried hard to hide my emotions, but my will power was nothing compared to Lord Voldemort's.

He took a deep breath and got off of me. He was still livid and kept the wand to my throat. His face was twisted with anger. I could do nothing but stare in fear while a few tears ran down my face. He opened his mouth, about to emit a curse. I knew it – I was waiting for it. I suddenly shut my eyes, prepared for the onslaught.

But nothing came. I flinched and opened my eyes. Tom was more furious than ever, with his mouth open to speak. But it was as if his voice couldn't work. He dug his wand into the skin of my neck, and I suddenly remembered flashes of the deadly robbed hand from my vision. The scene before me registered in my brain like deja vu. Tom made a sound of rage and pulled his wand off of me. I watched in frozen aftershock as he marched out the front door.

After the door slammed, I sat there on the couch for who knows how long. Eventually, I lied down and pulled myself into a fetal position. Why couldn't I control myself? I ended up causing more trouble than I was worth. I wanted to crawl into a hole and never climb out. Tom hated me. What was the point to my life? Maybe I should just end it now?

No. No, I was not going to go the easy way out, as my parents had. I would suffer just like the rest of humanity. I hoped that Tom would forgive me soon. In the meantime, I would cook and clean like normal. I'll also go out into the forest and look for his diadem without his asking. But other than that, there was nothing I could do.

It had been a couple of months since our fight, and the seasons were changing from an extended winter into an early summer. Tom had not said a word to me since that night with the vampires. For the first couple of weeks I didn't see him at all. He slept in his own cabin like he had when we first arrived. However, he soon started to sleep in the house. The situation had put a toll onto my soul, and I had become more and more tormented in my mind.

What could I do to get out of this hell hole I created? Should I leave or would Tom eventually forgive me? How long was it going to take? One thing I did know was that I couldn't keep living like this. I couldn't sleep next to a person who wouldn't even acknowledge my presence. I couldn't live with someone who, from dusk till dawn, kept up in either his study or out in the forest.

The only communication I had was writing letters back and forth to Norma or Druella. Sweet Hoot had been my companion as well, but talking to a bird all day became distressing after a month. I took up reading the books that Tom had brought earlier since I had the time. The only other item that kept me sane was a wizard's radio that Norma had sent me. Music was a literal food for my aching soul. Tom was never in the house at daylight (I served him his food at his shack), so I could sing along to my heart's content. Also, there were many interesting programs to listen to while I cooked or cleaned.

In the second week of May, Tom left the shack. I only found out at dinnertime one evening. I saw that his breakfast and lunch plate were covered in flies – untouched by humans. Oddly enough, I felt free. There was no more bottled up tension to stress me. I was able to actually act like I was alone in the house. I wasn't sure if Tom had left for good, but I assumed he would come back. He wouldn't up and leave all of his progress, not now. If I know only one thing about him, it was that taking over the world was his life.

In spite of him, on the very night he left, I killed and cooked one of the chickens, all for myself. It was really delicious, and Tom would have liked it. I smirked to myself, assuming that he was never going to have the pleasure of trying it.

On the third night, however, I became bored and felt I wrote enough in my album. I wasn't tired and going to bed at six in the evening was out of the question. Even though Tom didn't instruct me before he left, I had been good enough to continue searching for the diadem every day. This day, however, I did it only in the morning instead of all day. By noontime, I decided I might as well come back home do finish extra cleaning and cooking like always. Tonight I ended my chores early because the chicken I had cooked before was still good to eat, thanks to a preservative charm.

A boring night had called for some excitement. Even though I was dressed and ready for bed, the idea came into my mind to go and explore Tom's forbidden study. I figured it wouldn't hurt anyone to go into his cabin and investigate.

The sky was a dark blue as I went outside. The weather was pleasantly cool. The moon was almost full and lit a pathway to Tom's study. I walked towards the door slowly, as if every step I made would notify Tom of my prohibited quest. But I made it to the cabin, and Tom had still not arrived.

I immediately expected the door to be locked, but surprisingly Tom left it open. Perhaps he forgot or simply assumed I would never even try to enter. The room was so small that I ran into his desk as I emerged through the threshold. I lit what candles I managed to find in the dark and foreboding room. Once my eyes adjusted to candlelight, I was surprised by how relatively clean and organized the room had become since I had last seen it. There was still parchment all over his desk, but they were in neat stacks that were ordered by some meaning only Tom knew. On the floor were stacks of books reaching up to my waist but they were arranged in order. At the end of his desk were three piles of written parchment that reached almost two feet high. As I skimmed through the notes on the table, I saw what Tom had been busying himself with. There was page upon page of calculation for new spells and results of whether or not they worked. He wrote all over the pages with no manner of form or readability. He drew drawings of runes and other symbols I vaguely remembered from Arithmancy.

I smiled reading over his notes, getting joy from seeing what he penned from his mind. It reminded me of when we were on good terms. His handwriting was not extremely clear, but I was able to read it well enough. It was very slanted and quick yet full of loops through all of his p's, q's and l's.

I sat down on his chair and decided to give a few spells Tom had written in his notes a try. A lot of them didn't work – most notably the one for turning objects into pure, sustainable gold. (It was worth a shot.) The parchment I tried it on dissolved in my hand after one try. Hopefully Tom wouldn't need that one. The spells that were circled worked fairly well indeed. One spell made the book speak the information, instead of reading it on the page. I sat staring out the window into the moonlit forest while a book talked on about "red caps" who spontaneously "appear on battlegrounds or where large amounts of blood have been spilled." The book surprisingly had a very sultry voice as she explained some of the lesser dark creatures. I closed the book, breaking the spell, and looked back onto the desk.

He had at least ten quills and three ink bottles lined neatly at the top of the desk. In the right hand corner was a pile of books which looked as if he had read them each ten times. One book was solely on vampires, while another varied on different dark creatures. I surprisingly saw "Hogwarts, A History" in his pile; but then again, he really loved that school.

The left-hand side of the desk was dim with less candles and stacks of blank parchment. However something caught my eye. It was a small, leather-bound book, and as I reached for it I automatically recognized it. This was the same book he had brought down into the Chamber. If I remembered correctly, this was his diary.

I was sorely tempted to open and read it, but at the same time, I knew I would get in even bigger trouble with Tom, if that was at all possible. This book could have the answers to all the questions I wanted to ask Tom. However, it might tell me things I don't want to know. I felt that the diary was tugging at my soul. Suddenly, the temptation gave way, and I opened it up.

Surprised was not how I felt. Shock was a better term. Shock in that the whole entire book was empty. Part of myself said I simply recognized the wrong book. But no, this was the correct diary: this was the only diary. For the sake of argument, I even looked around the books on the floor with a candle in my hand so I could clearly see each cover. Nothing matched the little diary I remember seeing in the Chamber so long ago better than the one in my hand. This was his – it even said so on the inside page.

After rationalizing, I figured it must be charmed, like my album. No one can open my album except for me. However, that particular spell didn't apply for Tom's diary since I was able to open it and look through. Maybe it was invisible ink?

I whispered a counter spell for invisible ink, but nothing happened. It must have been a spell that he made up on his own. Every counter curse I put on the book did nothing. I was becoming impatient, knowing that this book had answers but reading them was turning impossible. I was so frustrated that I banged my head onto the book lying on the desk. Was it so wrong of me to find out the truth from Tom? If he wouldn't talk to me, why not go to the next best thing?

I lifted up my head, filled with a new idea. Maybe it needed some sort of ink for it to show its secrets. I took one of his quills and put a very light dab of ink on the topmost part of the third page in. It could have been an accidental smudge, and Tom would have never guessed that I had seen his precious diary. Then, strangely, it disappeared in front of my eyes. While watching the ink seep through, I thought about Tom were to go through my album. I would be a little upset. Actually, no I wouldn't; he can read my brain at any time. He knows everything about me, from my thoughts to my feelings, while I know nothing about him. But I wasn't upset that he knew. I was upset that we weren't on even footing grounds.

The ink dot still did not turn up nor did any writing. I thought I might make a bigger one, and the second blot also disappeared. I dipped the quill in again and decided to write a word; or rather, a date.

_13 May, 1948_

The date soaked into paper. To my happiness and excitement, something else popped up. The book did not fill up with words, as I had expected it to, but only a simple sentence came up.

**It's 1948 already?**

I became giddy after the sentence faded away. I quickly wrote back.

_Yes it is. Who are you?_

**Tom Riddle. Who is this?**

_It's Eva._

**Eva Smith? What are you doing? Get out of here!**

I was becoming a little confused by this diary. Was this Tom's present thoughts, or simple some he has stored into the book. Maybe they turned into some sort of person trapped inside the book. But did that mean there were two Toms? Suddenly I felt like all the pieces fell into place – that night in the Chamber, how the diary was blank, and Tom's split soul.

_What are you? You are not the real Tom Riddle. Are you his torn soul?_

**So I told you, hm? That is**

At this he didn't answer right away. I stared intently as the words faded away, craving for this part of Tom to write back.

**That is interesting. You should not be writing in this. Did you steal this from me? I should get rid of you now if that is true.**

_No, not at all my lord. We had a fight. You won't talk to me, but you've been gone for three days now. I didn't steal this, I'm still in his study._

**What did you do? Was it about the vampires?**

_Yes, how did you know?_

**I told myself about it.**

_When was the last time you wrote in your diary?_

**That's none of your business Eva. You shouldn't even be reading this. I don't know why I'm writing back to you.**

_Please keep writing. I've been so lonely since you stopped talking to me. It's been almost three months since I've had a real conversation._

Tom did not write back. I was a little bit upset, but let it go. After a full minute and he still hadn't responded, I felt that it was time I should leave. As I was just about to close the book, a sentence formed.

**If I'm so mad at you, why are you still here? You could just leave.**

His words shocked me a little bit. Leaving was out of the question. But why was it?

_I can't leave. I can't leave you._

**Then it seems I chose a loyal servant. Now stop writing in here and don't ever do it again.**

But before I could ask him any more questions, I heard the main house door shut. My heart became caught in my throat, and I panicked. I hurriedly snapped the book shut and threw it to the left of the desk where I had found it. I rushed out of the study and into the garden. Quickly I ran my hands into the dirt to make it appear as if I was gardening.

I stood at the front door for a few moments, unable to enter. I dreaded the awkwardness that was bound to appear once I walked through the threshold. I prepared any type of story that did not involve the truth if he, by chance, decided to talk to me again. Taking a deep breath, trying to pump myself full of confidence, I grabbed the door handle and emerged into the house quietly.

Tom had alighted up all the candles, as was his nighttime custom. He was sitting at the dining table eating what was left of my chicken. While he was chewing, he turned his head to look at me. I caught his eye, but had lost all of my courage from outside. I couldn't remember the last time we had seen each other awake – it had been so long. Seeing him there, with clothes that looked like he had been camping out in the forest for the past couple of nights, I felt my heart burst with affection.

He continued eating and staring at me, almost like he was waiting for me to do something. His grey eyes were expecting, and, despite all he had put me through, I still thought he looked like the most handsome man alive. I was such a fool. Tom kept his gaze and waved for me to sit down. As if he had cast a spell on me, I obeyed and sat down across from him.

Tom swallowed his food and asked me, "Did you find the diadem yet?"

His deep, smooth voice was like water to a parched throat. I had been waiting months for him to talk to me and now he finally had. I almost felt like crying, but I did my best to hold it in. I shook my head, wary to talk.

"Hm. That's too bad. I noticed you've kept yourself busy though," he said as he waved his hand around the room. Since I had much more time to read books and listen to the radio, I had been practicing home-making spells. I was able to transfigure and make lots of different things: linen, towels, silverware, bowels, pots, pans, bed sheets, pillows, sofa covers, and even a rug. Our little shack was far from the bare-bones structure we had found. "I also noticed your cooking improve. I have to admit that this chicken, even though it's not freshly made, is delicious." I felt myself blush and couldn't hide a smile.

I swallowed nervously. "So you noticed? I had been trying different recipes. My friends have mailed me a lot of them."

He nodded as he forked into another bite. As much as I wanted to just watch him, I didn't want to be too invasive so I looked out the kitchen window into the darkness. Tom swallowed and said, "I didn't know you would improve your skills so much - maybe I should stop talking to you more often."

My head snapped back to stare at him. "No, please my lord!" I almost screamed. "I mean – please I can improve while we talk. I just don't think I can take the silence."

He smirked at me, "I didn't hear much silence in the house due to that blasted radio."

I furrowed my eyebrows, embarrassed that he might have noticed my terrible singing. "What I mean to say, my lord, is I have missed your company. Truly I have."

Tom finished his meal and laid his silverware on the plate. He nodded in response to me. The he stood up and walked towards the dresser. He gathered his sleepwear and went into the bathroom to clean up and change. I took his dishes and set a spell to have the washed and dried. I sighed as I let myself fall onto the bed. Thankfully Tom Riddle had finally forgiven me and everything was back to normal. I could be mad at him for giving me the silent treatment, but the joy of having him back in my life was blinding me of any other emotion. I rolled my body over to the left side as he opened the bathroom door.

I shut my eyes ready to go to sleep as he crawled into the right side of the bed. Surprisingly, I felt his cold fingers touch my jaw to tilt my face towards his. I opened my eyes to see Tom propping himself so his head was above me. His eyes were serious, and he moved his hand away from my face. Tom's face came close to mine as he whispered to me, "I hope you have learned your lesson. If you make one more mistake, I will find a replacement."

I swallowed hard. I was nervous, not only because his words were frightening but also because he was so close to me in bed. Then he turned away from me and lied down to sleep. But for me, sleep did not come easy that night.


	13. June 13, 1948

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Eva go to Carina Rosier and Arthur Macnair's wedding.

Albania  
(1947-1957)

June 13, 1948

The bright summer sun was bursting through our windows as we ate our breakfast. I was in a good mood so I had made hot cakes, eggs, and toast for Tom and myself. Tom only ate a small amount before he set about pacing the room retelling me our plans for the day. I was surprised then ecstatic when I first heard we were going to the Macnairs' wedding in France. I honestly couldn't keep myself from smiling all morning, knowing we were actually going to go out and be with normal humans.

Tom was explaining how I would only refer to him as Lord Voldemort once we arrived. Likewise, he would only refer to me as his Death Eater. This was the third time he told me this information. Yet it was the first time he questioned me on it.

"Do you understand Eva? What did I just say?" he said forcefully, staring at me across the room next to the dresser where he was pulling out his dress robes. Hoot flapped angrily at the commotion made by Tom. Tom ignored him, and Hoot frowned, as much as an owl could, as he went back to sleep in his cage atop the dresser.

"You will only be known as Lord Voldemort. I am simply your Death Eater... But why are we doing this? Won't more people want to see Tom Riddle and Eva Smith at the wedding?"

With his robes in his hands, he frowned at me. "There are people out there, unbeknownst to you, that would rather have my plans foiled. Why do you think we are in this faraway country? Because I enjoy the ocean views?" He rolled his eyes at my ignorance. "If we are going to such a public place I would rather be known as my new persona."

"And I am not allowed to say that I am Eva Smith because they will guess you to be Tom Riddle?"

His eyes narrowed as he made his way to the bathroom to change. "Unfortunately, that is correct." He shut the door forcefully, and I looked down at my empty plate.

I finished cleaning up by the time he emerged. His face was clean shaven, and his hair was slick and put together. I used a few new charms, which I had acquired during Tom's silent period, to spiffy up our dress robes. His clothes were now made of a velvety black with fine green embroidery. My own had been transformed into a silken cherry red with golden seams. Although Tom never outright told me, he seemed pleased with the change. He looked more confident emerging from the bathroom than he had when he entered.

I quickly changed since I already did my hair, using Norma's potion she had given me for my birthday, early in the morning. I didn't have much makeup but I put on what I had and used potions to improve what I lacked on. (I learned more beauty potions than I needed from all of the magazine clippings Norma and Druella had mailed to me in the past year).

Although I wasn't personally invited, Druella had insisted that I come. I reread the part of her letter out loud which gave the location and time, but it didn't seem like Tom heard me. The wedding started at one o'clock in the afternoon, which was hours away. Yet Tom was hurriedly getting ready to leave.

He grabbed his wizard hat and marched outside. I followed suit and met him outside. As I was adjusting my hat, I saw he was holding our brooms. This scene felt all too familiar. I didn't realize we would fly , but I supposed we couldn't Apparate since Tom and I had never been to the wedding location. I felt uncomfortable flying around Tom since he had become something of a sky referee giving me marks on my safety and performance.

I hesitantly reached out to grab my broom, but he never gave it to me. "We will be making a quick detour before we head to the wedding. It's rude to show up without a gift."

Suddenly, my mood brightened. Tom and I were going to go on an impromptu trip, and I was very curious what he had in mind. "Where will be getting our gift? What is it exactly?"

Tom smirked, "You'll find out soon enough. Grab my hand, and I'll take us there."

I did as I was told, and suddenly I felt in my stomach the sensation of Apparating. Once our feet touched the ground, I saw we were in yet another forest. Europe seemed to be overrun with forests, and I almost wanted to escape the madding, tree filled continent. But this forest was much older and denser than our all-too-familiar Albanian forest. The trees were as high as two-story buildings. Far ahead, yet just visible to the naked eye, was a small cabin with thick smoke rising from the chimney. I followed Tom wordlessly as our feet crunched on the forest floor towards the cabin.

Once it came into view, I saw it was a simple house, half as small as our own. It was fully made out of logs and had one lonely window with a frosted glass pane. The smoke was dark grey and smelly as it snaked high through branches until it emerged past the tree tops. Tom rapped his knuckles against the door. The doorframe was made for someone shorter than Tom, so he seemed taller than usual next to it.

Half a minute went by before the door swung open. A portly old man answered and grumbled in German some phrase which sounded a lot like cursing. Then his watery eyes looked up and caught Tom's grey ones. At once, the man changed demeanor. His confident and disturbed attitude melted into fear and cowardice. "It's you!" he almost screamed. His whole body cowered, and he shrunk back into the cabin while slamming the door. However it never shut since Tom put his foot in the way. Tom pointed his wand at the door, emitted a spell, and the door flew off into the cabin with the man behind it.

Tom bent down and made his way into the house as if he was invited. After following him in, my eyes began to water and my nose stung from how smoke-filled the little cabin was. Once I wiped my eyes, I focused on the broken door in the far end of the room. It landed on what seemed to be the man's bed. Slowly, the door moved to the side, and the fat man emerged from under it, shaken and bruised from the crash. Tom paid him no mind and was interested in the large spheres arranged on the tables lining the walls. The man rushed up to Tom as best he could. He huffed and grabbed his back as if it was in pain. "What- what can I do for you Mr. Riddle?" he asked in a British accent. "Anything you want –anything – just take it. Take it and leave me in peace."

Tom's wicked grin was highlighted by the bright flames in the fireplace. For being the middle of June I had no idea why this obviously crazed old man would have the fireplace burning. "I'm glad to see you've learned some manners this time around Mr. Wilkes." Tom rubbed his smooth face contemplatively. He looked around at the orbs which all shone different colors based on the firelight. "I want something… rare and good-looking. Something that people will look and be immediately impressed."

The man looked frantically around his home and as he did I noticed there was more than just wood in the fireplace. There was one of the orbs – but it wasn't an orb. It was a leathery green dragon egg. All of the shapes on the tables were dragons' eggs.

The man grabbed a smaller, oval-shaped egg from the far corner of the cabin near where the broken door was laying. As he brought it closer, I saw flecks of gold and silver in the egg. Tom grabbed it from him quickly and carefully examined it. Even in the firelight, it was one of the most beautiful objects I had ever seen. I couldn't imagine what the dragon must look like inside.

Tom finished and curtly nodded in approval. The man sighed heavily. Then, realizing that Tom might be insulted by his relief, he gathered himself up and asked, "Is-is this to your satisfaction Mr. Riddle?"

"Yes, this will do. Can I have the name of it?" Tom was pulling a piece of glimmering linen out of his robes to wrap the egg in.

"It's a-a Catalonian Fireback. I mean Fireball – Catalonian Fireball!"

Tom frowned and leaned down into the man's face. He said coolly, yet with a touch of threat hidden in his words, "Which is it? Fireback or Fireball?"

The man swallowed and sweated even further while ringing his hands. "It's Fireball. I swear it – Catalonian Fireball. They are all but extinct, but I have this one here saved – but now I'm giving it to you. Just please don't hurt me." His voice was deep and gruff yet his words were that of a child afraid of his mother.

Tom stood up straight and curtly nodded, "Very well then." A second later, Tom whipped out his wand and pointed it at the old man, who collapsed to the floor in fear. Tom simply laughed a high-pitch laugh which was magnified in the small room. I couldn't help but giggle at the situation also.

By this time, Tom was obviously done with frightened fat man. Then Tom looked at me and guided me out of the house, while the man stayed on the floor with his head in his hands.

When we were far enough, Tom began explaining. "Mr. Wilkes was a dragon dealer I had sniffed out while I worked for Borgin and Bukes. My employer was looking for a few preserved dragon claws, and I happened to find this hideout full of dragon eggs. Mr. Wilkes had a fairly confidential business, and, though it took some convincing," he flashed a devilish grin at me while twirling his wand, "I swore to him that I wouldn't ruin that privacy… as long as I could get whatever I wanted when I wanted."

As we walked, Tom was wrapping the egg delicately with a shimmery gold fabric. I had never seen the fabric before and I secretly wondered if somehow Tom was able to get his gold charm to work. Once he finished, he shrunk it to fit into his inner pocket.

Before we got onto our brooms, I set up a directional spell so that we would be flying in the right direction. "Well then, the letter says that the chateau is in Cote-d'Or near Dijon. So that is going to be… southwest of us now. More west than south though." I looked up at Tom and he stared back as if everything I was saying was more than obvious. Ignoring him, I alighted onto my broom and took off through the forest branches and into the clear summer sky.

Not long after we left the ground, I asked Tom about the gift. "So, why are we giving them something of untold value rather than a typical gift? Macnair was part of our group, I assume. But other than that I barely know him – or her for that matter. Do you? We could, instead of giving them this egg, just -"

Tom interrupted before I could finish. "Eva! Stop talking – your voice is utterly annoying." I pursed my lips in slight irritation. "Lord Voldemort is appearing before an important group of wizards and witches. Right now in my plan I need wizard support – but I want to appear as if I don't. I want them to think, 'If Lord Voldemort brings a gift of untold value to this simple couple, what could he do for me?' My name needs to be in their minds and their whispers.

"However," here he pointed at me, "you are to be an intricate part of this plan. When we are there, you need to say as many pro-pureblood statements as possible. You are my mouthpiece so only say what I would want you to – embellishment is quite appropriate. Speaking of mouthpiece –" Tom trailed off as he pulled out the right side of his robes and began to dig through his pocket.

Tom pulled out a mundane grey mask. It had an oval face, made for a woman, with slits for eyes and a slit for a mouth. He pointed his wand at it and spoke a soft charm. Beautiful bursts of silver and white streams came from the wand and snaked around the mask until it looked like a priceless piece of antiquity. It had diamonds incrusted into it with black and white enchanted swirls that would move along the curvatures of the face. The silver background looked like it was newly polished platinum. Tom offered it to me to try on wordlessly. I greedily took it and put it on my face.

The mask glued onto my face without any ribbons or objects to tie it. I felt it move around and settle until Tom looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "I say, I did a very good job this time." I ignored his arrogance. The mask felt light and comfortable; it didn't even feel like it was on. I put my fingers to my face to trace the diamonds and the swirling decorations. My fingers touched a cold and hard steel-like material. All in all, I too was thoroughly impressed with Tom's skill.

When I looked back at him, I saw him holding a plain black mask like my previous grey one. I didn't interrupt him as he spoke a similar spell. Green and red sparks sizzled out of his wand in the form of snakes. The mask held emeralds, rather than diamonds, and was eerily snake-like. It was not beautiful or graceful like mine. On the contrary, it was harsh and evil. Tom put it on and turned towards me. His face had become completely snake-like, with slits as nostrils and ruby red eyes. The mask grinned.

"Your mask fits you well," he said with a glint of pride.

My mouth was slightly open in the shock of Tom's transformation. I came to my senses and agreed. "Yes, thank you so much. It's wonderful my lord." I felt as if I could not say the same about his. It was incredible, but not in the same way mine was.

As we flew, the earth below changed from dense woods into rolling hills with greener trees. To waste time, I began to tell him favorite stories from my Muggle boarding school. He politely listened but the only time he made a reaction was when I told him about how when the girls had caught me with the furniture stuck to the ceiling. He tried to contain a laugh when I informed how the Headmistress tried to explain away what the girls had seen. "They all called me a devil-child for a while, but I knew what I was so I didn't take any of their words to heart."

Tom quickly regained his composure and admitted, "I was called something along those lines. Except I didn't know that I was a wizard until…" He sighed and looked off into the distance.

By now we were close. Below us were wonderfully green vineyards dotted with villages and a manor here and there. The overwhelming forests had thinned considerably. As I gazed at the fresh scenery below, I noticed my wand flashing yellow – a sign that we were near our destination. While we descended, I pointed my wand forward until it flashed frantically. We were a few hundred feet above the ground and could have looked like birds from below. Still, what I saw below was most definitely a wedding arrangement behind a small chateau.

Upon closer inspection, the mansion was not as small as it appeared. We landed near the front of the house on the crunchy gravel near the stairs leading to the wooden front door. There were four turrets on each corner of the square shaped mansion, each with blue conical roofs. The main house was built of grey bricks, and the chimneys were with a bright red. Four windows on the main floor and five on the second peered down on us as we climbed up to the entrance. Even the turrets had small windows lining each wall. The grounds were well kept with a small wooded area to the west of the estate.

A rather tall house elf answered the door instantly after Tom rattled the knocker. He was wearing tailored rags that fashioned into a tunic, as most house elves did. The thing introduced itself as Droody and escorted us to the back of the house to where the wedding was to take place. Inside was as fine as the exterior, with orange-red shaded carpets and dark wood paneled walls where multitudes of family paintings hung. The house was abuzz with commotion from the wizards on the walls, and it seemed like they were all trying to find a good frame with which to see the event.

Once we reached the backyard, I was overwhelmed by how majestic the wedding ensemble was at ground level. There was just enough room on the grass for about two hundred seats. There was a beautiful, inlaid wooden altar in front of the aisle where the future bride would walk, somewhat to our right. Other than that, the whole theme was red. The chairs were red, the aisle carpet was red, and red roses petals were everywhere. Red rose arches were placed above the aisle. Bewitched red butterflies were hovering over the whole arrangement. Near the chateau's rear entrance were flying violins and harps playing lovely music. I noticed a few more gathered around other guests who were admiring the décor. Behind the yard were rolling hills of vineyards which only added to the charm.

I was about to walk down the steps to see if I could find Norma or Druella when Tom held me back. The house elf sputtered and asked us what we should be announced as. "Lord Voldemort and his loyal servant," Tom said.

Thankfully the mask could not show the red in my face as the elf's voice resonated throughout the party to announce our arrival. Tom brushed against my side and elbowed me as a sign to lock arms with him as we marched down the steps. I felt as if I was the one getting married with everyone staring at us in interest.

By the time we made it onto the grass, all I wanted to do was run away to escape the sudden attention. I tried to calm myself down and tell myself that no one knew I was Eva Smith. Just like Tom had said, he is coming as his new persona – maybe I should as well?

Behind us the elf's voice called out another family arriving. "Mr. and Mrs. Uther Yaxley and their son Pavo Yaxley with Miss Evelyn Prewet." I glanced behind me to see if Pavo still looked like a house elf after these past years. I almost laughed when I looked. Pavo was staring wide-eyed at Tom and me, probably wondering who on earth we were; but with his shocked expression he almost could appear related to Droody.

Tom dragged me to a row of chairs in the middle on the right hand side. Although he acted as if he could not see the eyes upon us, I knew he was happy with the attention. He let go of me and his snake eyes glinted at me. "Stay here for now. And remember what I said earlier – you are my mouthpiece."

Then he marched away to a group of men in the opposite part of the lawn. I didn't know what quite to do, since I was now a Death Eater and not Eva Smith. I did make the decision to sit down, and as I did I overheard a couple of witches in front of me. I didn't recognize them. They appeared to be in their mid-thirties. I heard the dark haired woman first, "-but why do you think they are having the wedding here?"

The chestnut-brown haired woman replied, "Well I heard that the chateau belongs to Macnair's great uncle," she nodded to an elderly gentleman in the front row thumping his cane and yelling in broken English and French at a petit middle-aged woman. "Carina somehow convinced the uncle to have the wedding here. It's probably why he's so ornery."

The dark haired woman laughed at her companion. "Oh no – he's always like that. My mother was his younger sister's classmate at Beauxbaton's and she told me he was always a grump." The other woman, though slightly embarrassed at insulting the bride, chuckled along with her friend.

As I glanced around the party, looking for where Tom ran off to, I saw someone that I absolutely did not want to see. It was Augustus Rookwood. He still had his acne scars and feathery blond hair, but over the past year he had gained some muscle and height. None of this made his sight any better. I hoped that he would not be able to recognize me under the mask.

I quickly turned my gaze as he looked my way. I stared intently at the scene that Macnair's great uncle was making. Despite everything, I heard a man shuffle to sit down in the chair behind where I sat. In a tenor voice, he asked "You're the one that came in with that Voldemort bloke?"

I clenched my fists hearing Tom's name said disrespectfully. I couldn't contain myself. I whipped around in my seat and whispered harshly, "His name is Lord Voldemort, and if you have a hard time remembering it, I can help you." I brandished my wand at his chest while I spoke.

Augustus frowned at me, almost deep in thought, and I hated the sight of him. If I was being completely honest with myself, I did not hate the man, but only what memories he stirred up in me. In my mind flashed the times where we had wandered the halls of Hogwarts alone, when he had taken me to Hogsmead, and other intimate occasions that I would have rather have forgot all together.

"You…" he mused as he cracked the knuckles in his hand, "you're Eva aren't you? And that Lord Voldemort is Tom Riddle, innit?"

I kept silent. He put on a grin and asked me, "Is this what you've been doing? Playing lords and ladies with Tom? Or should I say Voldemort?"

"Lord Voldemort doesn't play. While you have probably been at some menial job in the past year, we have been preparing for a war."

He cocked his head to the side, amused with me. "A war, is it?" His voice became serious and he leaned in close to me. "Who are we fighting?" As much as I was uncomfortable around him, I knew Tom would be upset if I didn't try to win him over.

In almost a whisper, I told him, "We're fighting the undesirables to clean the wizard race. And we are fighting the Ministry of Magic. What right does the Ministry have to tell a wizard or witch how and when and what magic to perform? We are fighting for a new world order, one where purebloods are free to do as they please. In that world, we will be able to use our magic however we like – as is magic's true purpose."

I knew I would be able to ensnare Augustus with talk of power and purpose. He had been a close follower of Tom, despite having issues with him regarding myself. In Tom, Augustus had seen someone to admire and, at the same time, to compete with. From what I had learned of him as we courted, I knew he had come from a difficult home life. His father was an alcoholic who gave no thought in attacking Muggles or his family. August's life seemed full of competition but he could never seem to win. Here, I was giving him a future where the rules were changed. I could see in his eyes that he was intrigued.

Augustus cracked his knuckles again, which was his typical tick. "Sounds interesting. But what have you really been doing all this time?" I didn't answer. I almost rolled my eyes and turned back around in my chair to ignore him, but before I could he reached out to grab my hand.

I snatched it back but not before we touched. I looked at him incredulously. "What are you doing?" I quietly snapped.

"I know it's you Eva. I can tell by the way you carry yourself and by your voice. Your war sounds interesting, believe me. But right now I couldn't care less about your Lord Voldemort. What I do care about is you."

I rolled my eyes and huffed at him, ready to leave the whole situation. "I'm sure you thought those exact words when I caught you snogging Meredith."

He laughed, as if I had told him an amusing joke. His voice was so loud, I noticed a few guests turn to see where it had come from. "To see you upset with me after all this time gives me hope. Back when you were with me, I wondered if you really liked me. You seem pretty jealous now of something so long ago, so you must have felt something eh?"

I refused to listen to his words and stood up to walk away. By this time, the women in front of me had noticed our conversation. Augustus stood up as well and tried to grab my hand again. I was too fast and pulled away before he could. "Augustus! What I feel and don't feel is none of your concern."

"Is there a problem?" the dark-haired woman asked, staying in her seat yet concerned.

I turned to her and smiled politely, or at least as best as I could manage. "There is no problem – I was just leaving." I swiveled my head back to Augustus and glared. He gave a cheeky grin and opened his mouth to talk. Instantly my wand was out pointed at him. "Silencio!"

I walked away, fighting the urge to look back and give him one last satisfying glare. Just the act of talking to him made me uncomfortable. I was upset with myself for even agreeing to date him at one point in my life.

I paced around the lawn, searching for a familiar face. Not five minutes had passed until a curly, brown-haired young woman cross paths in front of me. She seemed to be searching for someone as well. As her face turned my way I recognized her as Norma Selwyn. She caught my eye and looked at me interestedly. I decided to make the first move, "Norma? Norma Selwyn?"

Norma because cautious, unable to know if the person behind the mask was a friend or foe. "Yes, and you are the one who came with Lord Voldemort."

She was shorter than me by a little so I bent close to her and whispered, "I'm Eva – Eva Smith."

Norma's confused look broke into an unsure smile. "Eva? Eva is that you?" I nodded, and we hugged like long lost friends. Norma let go and looked me over. "Oh my word! What are you wearing? You look gorgeous. And your mask, it's so…remarkable! I'm so glad you could come – you hadn't replied to my letters in a while so I was a bit worried."

I laughed. Being here with Norma was a wonderful escape from my previous conversation. "Oh Norma, I've missed you so! And I apologize for not writing. I get so busy with… work that I'm exhausted by the time I remember."

Norma smiled ruefully at my mention of work. We had discussed many subjects in our letters, but where I was and what exactly I did was not one of them. Like a cat, she gracefully locked arms with me. We began strolling near the vineyards, as many guests had already done. She waved her free hand in the air, "Don't worry about it dear. I'm as pleased as a pixie that you have come. Now I can finally tell you all of the gossip I've been too afraid to put in writing."

She told me in our letter exchanges what most of our classmates have been doing – who they were dating or engaged to and what careers they had taken. I learned that Norma was currently a secretary for Nero Newton, head of the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. But the talk of something that she could not write made me intrigued. "Like what?"

"Well," she searched our area to see if there were any listening ears. We were beginning to walk down a row of grapes vines by this time, and all of the guests were out of earshot. Still, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "You know how Druella and Cyngus got married so fast last year?" I nodded, wishing that I could have gone to that wedding as well. "Carina should have been married first, but there was a reason behind it – Druella was pregnant.

My eyes widened. "No!" I gasped. "I knew that they were engaged, but they slept together as well?"

"Obviously."

My eyebrows creased hearing this unexpected news. "During Hogwarts, I wasn't sure if they really cared for each other. It always seemed like a façade – like they knew that their families would force them to marry one way or the other."

"So it's not possible they could be in love?" she said sarcastically. I didn't realize that Norma would be hurt by the comment, but I had forgotten that she and Romule Lestrange were engaged. Every single one of her letters mentioned Romule. She was terribly in love with him, but they fought so much it seemed. Knowing Romule almost as well as Norma, I was sure that it was him who gave in regardless of whether she was right or not. He was too much of a gentleman.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just… hope that they live happily together." There was an awkward silence, but then I pressed further on Druella's child. "So did she have a boy or a girl? How old is it now?"

And then Norma's glance turned downcast. She sighed, "That's the worst of it. Right after they were married, she miscarried. Druella hasn't quite been the same. I know Cygnus still wants children, but it's a difficult situation." The news hit me hard since I had been excited to see a baby moments earlier.

Since there was nothing left for us to say, the two of us focused on the scenery. The beauty of the rolling hills was so simple compared to life's tragic sufferings. I sighed, "We better get back. I'm sure the ceremony will start soon."

As we were walking back, I noticed a young, blond woman at the edge of the vineyard waiting on the lawn. As we got closer, I realized it was none other than Druella Rosier – now Druella Black. She had blossomed into a woman in the past year, much more than I had. Her large eyes looked warmly on us, but I could still see a twinge of sadness in her face.

"Norma, who is your friend?"

"It's Eva, I told you she was going to come."

I smiled at Druella, trying to seem approachable despite my mask. Druella smiled back and said airily, "I thought it may have been you Eva. I'm glad you were able to come to my sister's wedding – I was a bit disappointed you couldn't make it to my own."

"I apologize, but my employer and I were busy. Believe me, I direly wanted to come."

"I believe you. Exquisite mask, by the way. I take it that your 'employer' – Lord Voldemort did they say - is making you wear it." She did not give me time to answer. "But let us go. It will almost be time for the ceremony to begin."

I still didn't see Tom by the time we three reached the seating area. Since the other ladies could not find their partners as well, we decided sit down and wait for them to return. More than half of the seats were filled now, and enough guests to fill the rest were still mingling. There was still no sign of the groom so no one assumed there was a rush to sit.

To pass the time, we reminisced of our years in Hogwarts. Norma, Druella and I laughed until our eyes watered when I told the story of when we put a frog in Maria Filtch's bag because Maria was going around saying Romule was cheating on Norma. Norma then reminded us of when we had cursed Sarah Burke's bed with slugs. There was no way to get rid of them, and she had to receive an entirely new bed.

"I forgot," Druella said, taking a breath in between laughing, "Why did we do that?"

I didn't forget. "Burke, that little nasty, had been going around saying that I was an ugly dog and that she had 'no idea' why Tom was with me."

We chuckled more. Norma sobered a bit and asked, "That reminds me, what ever happened to the incredible Tom Riddle? He disappeared off the face of the Earth. Do you know?"

I stayed silent, but a part of me wanted to burst out that I was living with him. However, I wasn't sure if that was a good idea since Norma could not keep a secret. I decided to lie since the girls' eyes were upon me, believing I had the answer. "I honestly haven't heard from him since Hogwarts. He just up and left me. Last thing I knew was that he worked for Borgin and Burke. But then he quit and I don't know what became of him."

They did not give up so easily. Norma continued, "Yes I did hear he quit his job. Where do you think he went? I'm surprised that he didn't contact you – you were both so close."

I continued to lie, "We were close, I suppose. But he went down his own path, and I went down mine."

Druella chimed in, "Yes, your path with Lord Voldemort. Where did you find him, and what is he all about – everyone here is so curious."

A hand clenched my shoulder before I could talk. Druella was on my left with Norma beyond her and neither of them were the culprit. The touch startled me, and then the stranger spoke. "If you want to know, ask him yourself."

By his voice, I assumed it was Tom. And by the look on my friends' faces, I was certain. Norma almost jumped out of her seat with fright from the mask. Druella simply stared wide-eyed. Both were silent.

I quickly stood up and introduced him properly. Tom, remembering his courtesies, bowed politely to each of them. Behind Tom, Cyngus Black had rushed up. He gave Tom a hurried glance, but then became suddenly surprised by his mask at well. He quickly came back to his senses and told everyone, "It's going to start soon." Then he pulled Druella aside and I heard him tell her, "We need to sit with the family – you can talk to your friends later."

Druella gave us a helpless look as she went to sit with the Black brood claiming two whole rows on the left-hand side of the party. Norma, still slightly overwhelmed by Lord Voldemort's presence, looked at me seriously and said, "I need to go find Romule as well. We'll talk later."

After the girls had left, Tom jumped over a chair on my left to be next to me. We sat down, and I gave him a smirk. "You scared off all my friends my lord."

"If they became scared that easily, you need to find some better friends."

"My lord!" I protested, but mostly jokingly. Having Tom by my side gave me a strange sensation. Although I had a great time with my girlfriends, laughing more than I have in the past couple of weeks, I felt like I couldn't be myself wholly. And I did not even want to think about my brief conversation with Rookwood, since it would give me an uneasy stomach.

But being back with Tom allowed me to come to the realization that I had missed him within the past hour we were apart. He was lounging in his chair next to me with his eyes focused on the altar in front. His legs were crossed, and his hands absentmindedly fiddled with his wand. His snake mask made him appear terribly ugly considering how handsome he was naturally.

I wondered what he was thinking or if he was listening to my own thoughts. Whatever it was, we were interrupted as the music changed. Now, all the guests were in their seats and the groom procession began.


	14. June 13, 1948, cont.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom endures the rest of the wedding.

Albania  
(1947-1957)

June 13, 1948

(Tom's POV)

As I watched poor Macnair staunchly walk up to the altar with his best man at his heels, I had to ask myself: why was I here?

I suppose making a few appearances as Lord Voldemort was necessary to gain followers, but if this is what needed to be done I think I'd best send Eva alone in the future. Then again, she could only do so much. I glanced at her, sitting to my right. She was in rapt attention to the whole ceremony. Although I had a vague idea of what she was thinking, I felt like confirming.

_I wish I could be the one wearing the bridal gown._

I rolled my eyes. She had been very good lately on not being overwhelmed with her feelings for me. During the first few months of living with her, I wanted to slap her every time I heard her thoughts. But after her outburst with the manticore she finally figured out how our relationship was going to go.

I knew going to a wedding would bring everything out again. Still, I had to tell myself that coming here was a good idea in that I might be able to win a hearts and minds. I did have the option of not reading Eva's thoughts. But it could be such an amusing pastime.

The music slowly changed into a more haunting melody. It sounded utterly terrible. Carina Rosier, at a snail's pace, walked down the aisle of rose arches. Her dress was nothing out of the ordinary – long sleeved, lace shoulders, heavy veil. The end of the dress seemed to drag on like the whole ceremony. Even the multitude of butterflies had grown tired of flying and simply perched on the chairs and rose arches. My fingers drummed against my wand in agitation.

What was the point of weddings? Two people wanting to prove their love? It seemed so foolish. Perhaps it was some sort of societal decree that accepted a man and a woman to have sex. Like that wasn't happening already. No, these people lived through lineages. Marriages were the legal way to create more purebloods. No one ever had the intelligence to become immortal so they had to make sure their name through their children would live on.

Finally, Carina had made it up to the front with her fiancé. She looked better than normal with her brown hair down, framing her face. Her passion with red extended to her lip color, matching the huge bouquet of roses in her hands. With her maids behind her dressed in red as well, it seemed as if a mass murder had taken place before the ceremony. I smiled darkly imaging killing everyone suddenly and what a panic it would cause.

I must have scoffed during my day dream because I saw Eva give me a stern look mimicked by her mask. I ignored her.

The old man officiating the wedding began to drone on about how Arthur and Carina are such a perfect couple. Arthur looked like he was about to lose his lunch. However he cleaned up extremely well. In Hogwarts he always sported what could nearly be called a beard. Today his face was shaven and always terrible hair was finally combed. Carina got to him with the red since his robes of black had a red thread trim.

I looked down at my own dress robes which Eva had fixed up. She put a new trim on them too as well as upgraded the fabric.

Part of me wished I had done one of two things when she befouled my meeting with the vampires: wipe her memory and drop her off at Diagon Alley or simply kill her. Yet, in my utmost anger, I could do neither. Since those choices were off the table, what else could I do but ignore her? However, it seemed to turn into a beneficial time – she was able to get much more accomplished around our living space. She even went to search in the forest without me having to ask. I had trained her well.

I heard Eva sniff next to me, already knowing she was crying without looking at her. Were all women this emotional or was I just ill-fated? I briefly looked into her thoughts. _Perhaps it was possible to marry for love in a world where it seemed to hide at every corner._

She always seemed to err on the side of drama. Is love hiding from her? Am I hiding my love from her somewhere? How could I hide what is not there? I began twirling my wand in frustration – she was an excellent servant but it seemed there was nothing I could do to convince her that I did not love her. I would never love her.

It was a cool afternoon, and the sun was high above and out of my eyes. I searched around the seating area. Eva sat in a fairly good spot to search the crowd. Wizards and witches from all ages and Houses were in attendance. The wide-brim hats made it somewhat difficult to see who all turned out, but I managed. Thankfully I did not see Dumbledore or any of his lackeys – since he was the reason I had made these masks. Knowing his affection for poking his nose into my business, I had to be cautious. Ever since that damned yet glorious day he had come to the orphanage to find me, he had been on my heels. I was so stupid back then, but no longer. Now I took all precautions.

A couple of rows to the left and in front of us, I found Romule Lestrange, who had a tearful Norma Selwyn clinging to his shoulder. I suppose Eva wasn't the only female affected by such functions. Presently, Carina and Arthur were saying their vows to one another. I did my best to block out their words since they were sickeningly sweet and unnatural.

The entire back of the left hand side belonged to the Black family. Their pride was almost tangible, and I wasn't sure if their noses could reach much farther into the sky. In enough time, they would be the ones groveling on the floor desperate for my approval. However I knew it wouldn't be very soon because they were so wary of associating with me. Even in Hogwarts, Cyngus and Orion barely came to my secret meetings. Alphard was an odd Black in that he didn't give too much concern on whether he ruined the family name or not. He joined me quickly yet I couldn't trust him much more than his relatives.

I would have to put them in my debt somehow. What problem did they need solving? Lack of money was a popular pureblood problem but I could give them money later. As I looked each person over, I found the Black I was looking for: Walburga. Although she wasn't the eldest in her generation (her cousin Lucretia took that from her) she was the most dictatorial. She respected her parents and grandparents, but everyone knew that her word was final. I needed to find some way to be indebted to her, and then I would win the largest pureblood family to my side.

On the right side of the aisle I picked out many of my former comrades: Zilya Dolohov, Pavo Yaxley, Helio and Ardin Travers, Peter Avery, Augustus Rookwood, Apollo Rosier, and Indus Selwyn.

I found Indus soon after we had arrived. He and his brother were the first people I would need since they always seemed up for risking their lives for a fleeting moment of entertainment.

Earlier, I noticed Indus talking to Romule when I first passed by. Romule was also a close follower of mine, but he had unfortunately been tangled in with his personal life too much for me to ask him for help this time. I had heard from Eva's letters with Norma that he was currently a Trainee Healer which took up much of his free time. Once he was approved to be a true Healer, he would be extremely helpful – however that time was in the future. Right then, I needed to talk to Indus.

Romule was taken aback by the mask but tried hard not to show it. Indus was much more intrigued than his companion. In as much a commanding voice as I could manage, I asked to talk to Indus alone. Romule, without fight, gave one odd look to Indus and walked away.

"To what do I owe the privilege of speaking to Lord Voldemort?" Indus had asked interestedly. He was abnormally tall, whereas his absent brother Dorado was abnormally short. Despite the fact he looked down on me, his stance was not one of dominance. He was growing a thin beard and mustache, which made him appear older than me though we were in the same year. However, his light brown hair was still cut short.

"I would appreciate your assistance in a few matters. Along with your brother, who is currently where?"

Indus snatched bites of food from some passing hors d'oeuvres and began to eat. "He didn't want to come. I didn't much either, but Macnair begged me. I'm more of a softie than Dorado." He took another bite then continued, "But what can I assist you in Lord Voldemort?"

"I need someone to be my eyes and ears in England while I am away."

Indus appeared interested as I assumed he would be. "And what would I get in return?"

I laughed, trying to come across as cordial. "What wouldn't you get? Lord Voldemort rewards the loyal. You can have power, money, fame, freedom – anything."

He ate another bit of food, considering my words. "I have power and money. I don't need fame, and what are you freeing me from?"

I grinned. He fell right into my trap. Reading his mind, and already knowing his whole life story from Hogwarts, I knew what he and his brother truly desired was being able to fulfill their twisted desires without consequence. It was nothing too terrible, cursing here and there along with a few kills. Right out of Hogwarts I had discovered that they were earning money as assassins, but knowing them it was less for the money than it was for the act itself. "I'm freeing you to do whatever you like – I'm sure the Ministry would frown upon much of what you and your brother do. But under me, do whatever you please as long as you are loyal."

His eyes became dark as he studied me over. He could perhaps figure out I was Tom if he was smart enough, but I wasn't sure. He ate again. "How can I trust you? Who are you really?"

"Let me be the first to put down my guard then." I leaned in close and whispered, "I am Tom Riddle."

Right away his eyes lit up and he smiled, as if his guess was correct. "When you were talking about how you knew what me and Dorado were up to, I thought 'This must be Tom.' And sure enough – here you are in the flesh."

He shoved another bit of food in his mouth and swallowed. "Yeah, I'll be your spy. You're the damned smartest wizard I ever met, and I'd be the dumbest if I didn't side with you now. When I tell Dorado what he missed, he'll be awful sore."

The Selwyn brothers were an easy acquisition. Also, it will be good to keep tabs on the purebloods.

Arthur had finally finished his almost ten minute speech at the alter. How a man, older than me even, could blubber away in front of hundreds of people promising to give up any passion in his life for some shrew was beyond me. I wanted to rip my ears off when I realized Carina had her own.

"I will love you for the times of laugher and of tears. Never will I part by your side, until Death's untimely hand tears us away," Carina finished. She laughed giddily and wiped unseen tears from her eyes. Although it was absolutely unnecessary, some of the audience, Eva included, clapped softly. Perhaps it was because the bloody show was finally over.

"And now," the ministry attendant began, "I now pronounce you husband," he pointed his wand to Arthur, "and wife," and then to Carina. Blood red and black satin ribbons shot from his wand wrapping the two of them together. Fireworks and the ringing of bells erupted from the ridiculous scene. All the attendees stood up, and I regrettably joined.

The married couple floated in the air for a while, embracing and giving each other their first married kiss. What a waste of time. They could have done this part in the beginning and be done with it. Did they agree to marry because they really felt this life-long love for each other after courting for two years? I've lived with Eva for one year, and I definitely do not want to marry her. They were probably forced by their families – this was all a performance.

Strangely, I felt compelled to snatch Eva's arm and Disapparate back to Albania, just to be away from all the people. At least Eva was honest in all that she did – she might drive me crazy at times, but much less so than the rest of my old schoolmates who constantly put on a show. I put on a show as well, but in my mind I knew it wasn't real. They believed their own lies, which made them all the more feeble-minded.

The couple floated down while the ribbons and fireworks faded away. A quiet moment passed over the crowd, then a rush of cheering and clapping erupted throughout the yard. The two gaily leaped down the aisle, butterflies coming at all directions and red roses falling. I glanced down at Eva. Her eyes followed the couple down the aisle, and she clapped just as loudly as the rest of them. I shoved my hands and my wand into my pockets.

As soon as they reached the last row of chairs, the entire yard began to rearrange itself. Our seats evaporated and reappeared around red dressed tables further adorned with red flower arrangements. A higher table for the couple of honor, facing the seating arrangements, ascended near the where the altar previously was in front of the mansion. The couple was pulled away by a photographer, and I was pulled away by Eva who seemed to have one thing on her mind. _I am starving, and for once I don't have to cook!_

I shook her off right away, considering what it would look like if Lord Voldemort was dragged by his servant. I glared at her, wondering if ever considered her actions - obviously not. Still, I obliged by following her to the tables to sit and await our food courses, as had every other guest. I kept my eye out for Macnair because I wanted to present my gift to them as soon as possible so that I would have the full attention of the audience.

Eva had sat down at the table nearest us, which had unfortunately crowded with wizards and witches far too old for me to influence. There was light music, played by a piano, violin, cello and the like, wafting through the background of the chatter. Our first course was a salmon bisque, which Eva devoured much faster than I would have liked. She acted like starved animal. We had gone through two more courses, an herb salad with raspberry dressing and escargots, until I had finally seen Carina and Arthur sit at their high table.

Below them on either side sat their immediate family. On the right were Carina's parents, the aging Rosiers. Her mother was grey haired but looked as sharp as ever. Her husband had salt-and-pepper hair with an apparent smirk, satisfied in his daughter's marriage. Next sat Carina's younger sister Druella and her husband Cygnus Black. Next to Cygnus was Druella's brother, Apollo, with a recent Hogwarts graduate Meredith Flint, a skinny white girl with long dark redish hair and a hooked nose. On Arthur's side sat his parents, who looked relatively young compared to the Rosiers. The Macnairs had kept their dark black hair, and the father looked like a striking image of Arthur. The only difference was that the elder Macnair had his fair share of wrinkles. Mrs. Macnair had long, black curly hair that balanced her plain square face. Arthur had one younger sister, not even in Hogwarts by the look of her.

"Let's go," I whispered to Eva as I grabbed her elbow to have her rise with me. I could tell other guests wanted to go give their blessing, but I was intent to be the first. Eva was far less interested, especially since the first of our main courses had appeared on our plates. It was beef bourguignon, and the delicious smell had infected the air. I clenched her flesh harder to drive in the urgency while I whispered in her ear, "I don't care if you starve. We are going to give the Macnair's our gift now."

She looked at me, crestfallen, but complied, "Yes my lord." I walked as quickly as I could until we arrived in front of their platform. Carina and Arthur were still on their soup course as we arrived. Once they saw our masks, I could see a change in their expression from blissfully happy to on their guard. They said nothing and stared at us. In fact, the whole table stared at us, hardly able to eat. But I was ready – this was my time and the reason why we had come here.

"To the newly wed Mr. and Mrs. Macniar, Lord Voldemort and his humble Death Eater give our blessings and our gift." Eva, catching along quickly, curtsied as I bowed and thankfully kept her mouth shut. I unshrunk the wrapped egg quickly, so that it would appear instantly. Once Carina caught a glimpse of gold, she sat straighter and more forward in her seat. All women loved shiny things, I mused.

As I gently handed the egg to Arthur, I began my speech. "This gift is but a taste of what Lord Voldemort offers to those that are willing to take his side." Arthur was slowly unwrapping the object and becoming more and more amazed as he realized what I had given him. Carina was so fixated on the egg that she could not be bothered to keep her mouth shut. Their thoughts ranged from unbelief to whether it was a true dragon's egg to fear about what my true identity was and whether this was a veiled threat.

"My sources have confirmed that this is a Catalonian Fireball. If you decide to have it evaluated yourself, in which I take no insult, and it turns out to be anything other than I have aforementioned, be sure to track me down and I will provide something of similar value. You see, Lord Voldemort rewards those who follow likeminded fundamentals. Carina Rosier and Arthur Macnair have united a true pureblood marriage. Other wizards or witches who follow down the pureblood path will also have my gratitude and my favor. If I may be so blunt, our society has tolerated Muggles and Muggle-borns for far too long. Our powerful blood is running thin, and only we purebloods have the power to change it. I can help you, and I will help you. All I ask is that I too receive your help in return.

"If you don't see the future danger, let me iterate further. Look at how far we have come as a race. And still we have to hide from Muggles? The Ministry sets boundaries on how we, as magic wielders, should practice our inherent right! We have succumbed to a culture where Muggles have become our equal. I refute that idea – what can they do that we cannot? And yet there is so much we can do that they barely dream of! We wizards are a higher race and to stamp us down to be at Muggles' equals is an insult. The degradation of our pride and our blood will only continue further. How many Muggle-born do you know? Quite a few I surmise. They infiltrate our schools and weight down the education of our youth by implementing regression rather than progression! The only way to change this is by a revolution, and I am willing to make those steps. I wonder if anyone here today is willing."

The whole party became silent. Even the music had ceased. Not a whisper or clink of silverware was heard - only the wind billowing in the trees. I could hear their thoughts though and they all revolved around me. A good part of them took my words to heart, and that was enough.

"Here, here!" shouted a familiar voice from a table to my right. I glanced quickly and saw that the voice belonged to Indus. A few others from behind and around also gave positive cheers (such as "He's right!" and "Too true!"), while a moderate amount of disagreeing grumbling arose as well. Macnair finally found his voice and stammered.

"Well, then, L-lord Voldemort. We are very – pleased to have gained your favor a-and your most generous gift!"

I could read his thoughts. _Who invited this man and how did he get this egg? Whatever the case may be, I need to be on this lord's good side. He makes me feel uneasy to say the least._ At least he had some common sense.

But I was finished with my speech so I bowed again and turned back to my table. Eva followed at my heels and I could feel every eye on me. It was a wonderful feeling – this adoration yet infamy. Everyone was focused on me, whether they agreed with me or not. I was like their god. All of these wizards and witches could be in my hands and soon most would follow my order until death. If there was something in the world I truly loved, this was it.

When we finally made it back to our seats, hushed conversations sprang up like bubbling fountains. The instruments began awkwardly, as if trying to ignore the whole ordeal. The older guests at our table were uneasy with our presence, even more from before when they believed us to be some strange oddity with masks. All of them made a further effort to ignore us. All of them but one it seemed. A middle-aged wizard, sitting on my left (with Eva on my right already eating the second course of chicken with vegetables in a cheese sauce) leaned over to me. His blue eyes were intensified by small circular glasses. His black attire made his long blond hair and beard striking.

In not a soft tone he spoke to me, "I heard what you said young man. There are a few ears in this gathering that may not appreciate your words, but I'm not one of them." He leaned back into his seat and ate while he continued. "I can appreciate your effort. For instance, these masks you wear are of fine quality, but I daresay you did it yourself. With that elaborate gift, you gave made all of us, even the elders, pay you recognition. And you speak like a politician on top of it. Your whole guise has had a lot of work put into it."

Then he quietly evaluated his next thoughts on whether to give me his name. But I already knew what it was.

"Do you know who I am son?"

"Brutus Malfoy, as I presume everyone knows."

He had a throaty chuckle. "I suppose they do, they all owe me loans of some sort. But you, Lord Voldemort, are quite unknown to all. That is before today."

He took a deep breath and sat back in his chair, more comfortable with my presence than the other guests. I could tell Eva was starting to pay attention to our conversation. At the same time, I knew Malfoy wanted to continue.

"As you might know, I am quite an investor. I see opportunities when they are first blossoming, which is how I have been able to steadily increase my money, unlike other purebloods. Now the problem with investing is that a great reward means a greater risk. You seem like an awfully large risk, being so unknown. Yet I have a knack for finding diamonds in the rough."

Suddenly, I became incredibly excited. Could the Brutus Malfoy be offering to invest in me after my first appearance? Fate seemed to be on my side today. I hid my emotions, as per usual.

"I am honored by your consideration. However, as I have said, I am simply making known a problem that most wizards shirk from. I have made it my life's goal to correct that wrong and to help people who share my cause. Regardless of whether you see me as an investment, I must know if you share my ideals."

I already knew he did – he was a pureblood fanatic if anyone ever was. I remembered his little brat of a son Abraxas. He was four years below me, and thus was too young to invite to my meetings. Even so, that little prick would constantly remind anyone who mentioned my name around him that I was half-blood. That further cemented in my mind that I would not tell Malfoy who I was until I could fully trust him.

He casually smiled, "Always the politician. I respect that. Yes, I do agree that something must be done about the stagnation and decline of us true wizards. But we must be careful not to fall into the ways of Grindelwald." I nodded somberly, but knowing I wouldn't ever make such foolish mistakes as him.

I ate during our conversation, and now the fruit and cheese course was upon us. Wine, grown locally, instantly appeared and was bewitched into pouring every person a rather full glass. Brutus inspected the red wine in his glass then took a taste. "Ah, very delicious. A fine year this one. Do try some Lord Voldemort."

Although I would have rather not, I felt compelled to obey since he was about to become a big part of my plans. I took a quick sip, and the wine was not intolerable. I glanced at Eva to see whether any crumbs remained on her plate. Surprisingly she had not touched any of the fruit or cheese, but her glass was already half empty. Her head was resting in her palm while she stared lazily out to where her schoolmates were sitting.

I turned back to Malfoy, and he indicated with his wine glass to Eva. "She was your – what did you call it – Death Eater? It's a frightful name for a beautiful creature like her." As much as I wanted to frown at him for complimenting Eva in such a cheap way, I contained myself. How could he judge her beauty? She was wearing a mask for Merlin's sake. Eva, already affected by the alcohol, didn't hear which was for the best. Yet Malfoy didn't seem on stopping.

"Miss – yes you. What on earth are you doing with a young man like this who is intent on starting a revolution?"

Eva's attention had been caught. Her eyes darted to mine. She swallowed and thought hard on what would be the correct thing to say. As much as I wanted to spoon-feed her the words I wanted to hear, I had to allow her to think for herself.

"I serve Lord Voldemort because he is the most intelligent wizard there ever was or has been. He has the determination and the brilliance to change the whole world, and he will. I have seen with my own eyes his power." She paused, and I wondered if it had to do with my tongue curse I had put on her. She regained her voice and finished, "There is nothing else I could imagine doing other than standing by his side."

She spoke well, and I gave her a nod of approval, which she cherished.

"So you are in love with him?" Malfoy laughed, too loudly for my taste. I knew Eva would be blushing under her mask, but no one else could see so it didn't matter. Further I could see he was making a joke, but Eva was oblivious to that.

Gratefully, Mr. Macniar presently stood and began to clink his glass to indicate a toast. He made some lengthy speech but none of what he said mattered. Finally he raised his glass and the rest of us followed. Eva finished her wine, while I only took another sip.

While most of the crowd was attentive to the wedding couple as they gathered themselves to cut the cake, Malfoy leaned over to talk more. "As I said before, I'm willing to make an investment in you. So how much do you need?"

There was a moment where I felt utter clarity in what my future beheld. I could see my followers, my army. Hogwarts would topple, and soon the Ministry would also fall under my power. Then country by country, the whole world began to know and fear Lord Voldemort.

Then I was back in my chair, listening to shrill cheers, scattered clapping, and drunk laughter. I looked Malfoy in the eye. "As of now, I need your confidence. Money is not a commodity I am currently trading in, but it will be of use in the future. Right now, I need to amass a following."

Malfoy nodded understandingly, "Then in the future, I hope that you will contact me regarding any issues that need resolving." With that, he turned to his wife, spoke a few words, and took her away to dance.

The music had gotten livelier, and I was ready to leave.

I looked back at Eva. She had finished her fruit and cheese by this time, while I had left my plate untouched. "We are done here. Walk with me and I'll take us home."

She looked at me remorsefully. "Really? I wanted to go and talk with my friends more."

"You did that earlier. Whatever else you want to say, just write it." I stood up, making my point clear. Her mask pouted to copy her facial expression, but she rose as well. I made my way towards a clearing, but not before I saw Eva slip an unopened bottle of wine into her robes.

The sun was getting lower, filling the sky with red and orange hues. Although there was still plenty of light in the sky, there were enchanted lanterns floating above the part. I held out my hand to Eva's, and the moment she grasped it we Disapparated.

Previously, I enchanted our seaside location with many protection spells, including making it Unplottable as well as invisible if seen from above. I also made it so that I was the only one who could Apparate and Disapparate on the grounds. All of which made me wonder how the vampires dropped off that head carcass at my doorstep.

As I pondered, Eva went back into the house. The sky was dim and the sun was almost beyond the ocean's horizon. Already I could feel my mind become clearer here. Albania was a good spot for now, but Malfoy's offer teased in my mind. If I had money, I could set up somewhere more useful, in a more strategic place. Once I find Rowena's diadem, I could contact Malfoy to have enough resources to reestablish myself back in England. I will be stronger by that time, with even more Horcruxes. By then, even Dumbledore couldn't dream of stopping me.

I walked inside our home slowly, weighing my future options especially now with Brutus Malfoy and the Selwyn brothers at my side. I peeled my mask off of my face and threw it onto the table. Eva's silver and black mask was lying carefully on the table, while she was crouching in front of the stove to start a fire. During summer we didn't set up a warming charm on the house, yet the nights could be chilly. She also lit the candles in the house, and warm glows were flickering on the walls.

After I emerged from the bathroom after changing and washing up, the stove was aflame with a pleasant fire, and Eva had already opened her stolen bottle of wine. She was in her lilac nightgown and night-robe pouring the red wine into two cups. I supposed with just her and I, I could permit myself to have one drink – as long as I didn't become inebriated. I sat down next to her and took a cup from her. She grinned foolishly at me.

"How much did you drink already?" I had no idea she was such a lightweight.

She stared at me seriously then burst out giggling the next moment. "I–" Her words were broken by her laughter, "No, no, no – guess how much. And no cheating. Don't read my thoughts."

"I saw you drink one glass, are you drunk already?" I began drinking a few sips of wine.

"No! I'm not drunk – honest. I'm just a bit flushed." She laughed again. "Okay, maybe I'm more than flushed. I actually had two glasses, so I'm glad you didn't cheat. God, I've been sober for so long. Why don't we carry alcohol in the house?"

"Exactly for this reason."

She playfully frowned and reached out her hand to push me in jest. Then she pulled back, remembering how I am not fond of physical contact from her. Then her eyes focused away from me and she drank.

Eva smacked her lips and began talking. "Their wedding was absolutely gorgeous. Carina, and even Arthur, looked beautiful. The music was so romantic, and the food was delicious. This wine is even better. I so wish we could have stayed. I would have loved to dance."

Eva was more drunk than she believed since she continually threw out her arms as she talked, which was not a common sight. I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous she looked.

"Why, what's funny? I can dance if I want to!" She almost stood up to give me a demonstration but I held her arm preventing her.

"No, you just look ridiculous. You are most definitely under the influence of alcohol. Sit down."

She stayed seated on the couch and pulled up her legs into a crossed position. Her nightgown's fabric stretched to covered her legs. "Well, did you have a good time? Your speech was very nicely done. Did you write it out beforehand or just winged it?" She didn't give me a chance to reply as she quickly continued, "Everyone was staring at us afterward. I felt so uneasy. Thank Merlin for your masks, otherwise everyone would have seen me turn as red as a beet."

Currently, she looked red as a beet. She was sweating and continually fanning her robe against her to cool down. The alcohol was making me feel rather warm too, so I stood up to turn off the stove. As I was doing so, Eva kept talking. "Did you like the wedding then, my lord? Did things go as planned? Oh thank you for turning off the fire. I'm dreadfully warm. Also, I saw you talking with, what was his name? Murphy? Malone?"

"Malfoy. Brutus Malfoy. You had better remember his name. He plans on investing in me."

"Ooh really?" She became excited. I sat down next to her on the couch again and finished my cup. I crossed my legs and began to twirl my wand while I continued listening to her drunken banter. "Well that is fantastic. Then it truly was good that we went. I'm so glad we went too because I was able to see my friends. It's been a year since we were face to face." Then she gasped. "Did you know? Druella and Cyngus were married so quickly out of Hogwarts because she was pregnant. But then – she lost the baby. How terrible for them. I could see it in her eyes. There was a loss but she simply couldn't talk about it. Losing a child like that must be dreadful."

"Why?" I burst out. "It's not like they even saw it. It hadn't even been born. What was there to miss?"

She took a stiff breath and frowned at me. "Tom, you are so cold."

My neck bristled at the sound of her using that damn Muggle name. But that was what she always called me in her thoughts. It was "Tom this" and "Tom that" and "Oh Tom" and "Why Tom?"

"Why do you insist on calling me Tom?"

"That is your name isn't it?" She replied rather bitterly. A moment later she calmed herself, and answered. "It just came out, I'm sorry. But honestly, I met you as Tom Riddle. Plus it flows so much better than Voldemort."

"'It flows better'? That is a stupid excuse. I don't know if you have figured it out Eva, but I want to wipe Tom Riddle off the earth. Lord Voldemort is who I am now, so you had better get used to only calling me by that name."

She didn't reply. Instead she finished her cup and began to pour herself more wine. I stopped her by taking the bottle. "You will be sick tomorrow morning if you drink any more. And we wasted a whole day today, so we need to be up bright and early to search."

Eva threw her head back in exaggeration and let out a loud sigh. "That bloody diadem." Although she tried to mutter it, her words were clear as day.

"Speaking of bright and early, we should be going to bed." I started to get up, but this time she held my arm. I was more surprised than I should have been. Most likely because I was not sober either. "Please," she said with begging eyes, "just stay up with me for ten more minutes. I'm having a good time with you."

Usually if she did things like this, I would brush her off. Who was she to command me? She was no one. Just a servant. That's what I told myself, but being in this murky state confused my emotions. I clenched my hands in frustration. Why now couldn't I leave her like usual? I suddenly felt myself return down into my seat next to her. Her face beamed at me.

Eva was so happy, it was a bit sickening. "Ten minutes." I looked at my watch to count the minutes. Why I was giving her the time, I didn't know and I didn't want to know.

"Thank you my lord. Again, I'm so happy we went out today. Getting the egg was fun." I grinned back at her remembering Wilkes' face.

"I think by the time we left he needed a new pair of pants."

Eva made a disgusted face but laughed still. "And, I know I've said it enough already, but their wedding was just … gorgeous. It was like a fairy tale. They seemed so in love. Even though Arthur's vows were terribly long, they were sweet and from the heart."

I wasn't able to contain myself like usual. "Honestly? You thought they were truthful? It was a big show Eva. They weren't in love – they just did it for their families' sake. To uphold the pureblood lines," I said rather sarcastically. "You always see love in places where it doesn't exist."

She was flustered for a second. "No, I don't believe you. Did you read their minds or their memories?" I tried to not show my eyes rolling indicating that I had not (because it would have been a waste of time), but the wine was not helping me. "I can see through you now, Lord Voldemort. You didn't, so you don't know. Believe me, they seemed very in love. Why must you feel like spoiling everything?"

"I'm not spoiling anything. Eva, the world spoiled everything far before you were even born. I'm simply pointing it out."

"No To-my lord. Love is here in the world. Love is real and it's wonderful."

I crossed my arms, ready to argue. "What do you know of love?"

She moved closer to me to prove her point. "My mother loved me, and that was real. She truly cared for me and did her best to raise me and give me a happy childhood."

I cocked my head to the side. She was making this too easy. "Yes, and then she died leaving you alone to fend for yourself. What kind of love was that?"

I said something probably inappropriate, but she had started the conversation so she knew what she was getting into. Her mouth twisted, and I almost saw tears in her eyes. My mind was too foggy to properly read her mind (which was the exact reason why I don't drink). Her hair was still styled and she hadn't washed off the makeup from earlier. In the candlelight, I couldn't deny that she was pleasing to look at. Especially when she was upset.

I kept staring at her as she battled her internal emotions. Her eyes had broken away from me, and she stared into her lap. I felt like I had won the argument until she spoke up. "At least I experienced love once. You cannot argue what love is like because you haven't felt it."

I wasn't upset like she had been when a painful truth was pointed out. She was right. I hadn't known love, but it honestly didn't seem like I was missing much. All love evaporated in the end. I didn't bat an eye and kept my arms crossed.

Then she looked back at me, and her eyes softened. "That wasn't fair of me. I'm sorry." She took a big sigh, then leaned even closer to me, and spoke in a hushed tone. "Let me tell you, love is something beautiful. Maybe it doesn't look that way to everyone and at all times. But in a certain light, there is nothing on this earth more beautiful than when you love someone." As she spoke a smile slowly crawled on her face.

"That's how you see love? A fleeting glimpse of beauty? It doesn't sound worth it at all. An honest waste of time and energy if you ask me."

"No, it's not!" Eva leaned back into the couch, and her eyes floated to the ceiling as she continued with her silly smile on her face. "It's like drinking something hot on a chilly day or a cool breeze on a warm afternoon. It's so refreshing and even if it doesn't last very long, the fact that it happened makes your soul happy."

I looked at my watch. I had promised her three more minutes, but already I was done with this conversation. Eva was a good servant, probably the best I could find currently. She was loyal despite all the logical reasons why she shouldn't even be with me. Her cooking had drastically improved in the past year, and she cleaned the house according to my standards. She was also able to acquire livestock and a garden. I knew honestly I was living much more comfortably with her around.

Regardless of all that, she could drive me to unbearable frustration when it came to her infatuation with me. It was not as terrible as it was at Hogwarts or in the first months we lived together. But even now, I could see without even having to read her mind that she was daydreaming of me.

I thought over her words. How could she derive happiness from something that was not real? I did not love her, I had made that clear. Still, she persists with her romance. Regardless of how fleeting this happiness is that she describes, it ends. Loving others is a waste of time because no matter what they will destroy that love. I've seen it enough times to know – I don't want anything to do with it. Neither should Eva, since, in time, it will only break her spirit.

I looked back down at my watch. Three minutes had passed. I stood up, and she gave me a look knowing that we were done. But before I went to the bed, I gave her a serious gaze and told her, "You should find something else that makes you happy, because this love you are talking about will only end in pain."


	15. October 17, 1948

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Eva use soul stones.

Albania  
(1947-1957)

October 17, 1948

"Are you ready?" Tom yelled from outside near the chicken coop.

I just finished casting a drying spell on the dishes from this morning's breakfast. "Yes, my lord!" I emitted cheerily as I closed the front door. Today was Sunday, and we were going out to practice magic. Ever since the wedding, Tom had been studying with me, one on one, advanced magic that he had learned. I don't know what made him suddenly decide to do this, and I didn't have the heart to ask for fear he might end the lessons altogether. Regardless, I was terribly pleased that we had been spending more time together and also to be putting more of my brain to work. Taking care of the garden, the livestock, the kitchen and the home was mind-numbing work at best. So to be able to do something truly useful with my wand was deliverance.

I was not entirely sure what we were doing today since he wanted to take us to the forest. I hoped dearly that he was not tricking me somehow to have me search for the crown on Sunday. If he did, I would be sure to stand my ground and refuse.

Tom had walked towards me with his hands in his robe pockets. I looked at him with anticipation. "Today," he said like an instructor, "we will be working on something very important to me. We will be using these," Tom pulled out two smooth, ebony stones the size of his hands, "to capture souls. Animal souls that is."

I stared at the stones. At first they had appeared a pitch black but once I inspected them closer, the inner part was like a rainbow and beautiful to look at. Once I fully understood what we were doing, I stared at Tom in shock. "But… but the Wizard's Council banned soul stones centuries ago! This is very illegal." I knew my face showed my worry but I simply couldn't hide it.

"Eva, come off it. The only reason these were banned was because the Council didn't know how to use them properly and wanted to eliminate witches and wizards who could. As you should well know, the Council branded them as the Dark Arts, thus beginning the control of all who wield magic. Back in the old ages, Dark Magic was just another side of magic. And that's how it will be when I rule." He thoughtfully weighed the stone in his hand while he imagined the future.

Presently, he snapped back to reality. "But today we are going to try to capture animal souls."

I wasn't listening to him as I stared at the stones. "Where did you get these?"

He shrugged as if the story was unimportant but began explaining. "Right before I quit I took them from Borgin and Burkes. They weren't even showcasing them properly – I doubt Burke even knew what they really were. Back to the point, I'm going to show you the spell on a chicken first."

"No!" I burst out. "My lord, please let's not harm the chickens. I've been tending to them so well, and I already have a cleaned chicken to eat for the rest of the week. Please, let's not test these on the livestock."

He frowned at me. I supposed he did not imagine me objecting to this when he planned the day out. "Well, what do you suggest we practice on?"

"I know the forest is full of animals. I see rabbits and deer constantly. Let's try it on them."

He tried hard not to seem exasperated but failed. We had grown relatively comfortable with each other over the long months spent together. So comfortable that Tom removed many emotional masks. During our time in Hogwarts, I could rarely decipher his true feelings or intentions. But here with me in the wilderness. Tom perhaps felt it wasn't worth his energy to hide his true self from me.

He sighed and uttered, "You make things so much more difficult than they need to be." But he held out his hand to Apparate with me. I grabbed it, and I was sheepishly pleased by how gently he cradled my hand. Once we arrived in the dense forest, he instantly let go.

Although most of the Albanian forest had become a blur to me, I oddly recognized where we were. The birds sung out their morning song, and the sun was casting shadows all along the ground. Moss clung onto almost everything, from the high tree trunks to the the stones encasing the small creek. It was one of the most beautiful parts of the area, and I recalled fond memories of searching the tree trunks here.

I followed Tom as he walked alongside the creek in search of animals. Though we were still marching through the forest, it was a nice change of pace. My eyes were becoming tired of looking at the red-banded tress. At times, I was tempted to cast the spell for green just for a change, but I wasn't willing to risk the punishment from Lord Voldemort.

Our Sundays together were a blessed relief. He began to teach me to control my telekinesis. I almost forgot he also had that ability until he told me about our lessons. On alternating Sundays Tom would practice spells, jinxes, and hexes with me for dueling. He had told me, "You are a good servant, but I also need a strong witch as well." At first, his comment burned me. I soon got over my pride and was hungry to learn from him. He taught me many dueling spells (for protection, for diversion, for attack, and so forth). It was rather fun to have him as a personal coach. And dueling one on one with Lord Voldemort was a very interesting experience. I knew he was smarter than me and far more advanced, but to duel with him was to see it firsthand.

The first couple of weeks were very pathetic. We would practice all morning, and still I couldn't even get one spell on him. Half the time was spent jinxing me and the other half was spent un-jinxing me. Many times he would straight out laugh at me. That was most common when he would put an ugly or humiliating jinx on me rather than a usual curse. I believe by the third Sunday of dueling I was finally able to put up a protection spell.

However, the past couple of weeks had been much better. I actually was able to deliver a well-executed Colloshoo hex that made his feet stick to the ground. Afterward I tried to aim an Impedimenta jinx, but Tom was able to put up a proper protection and unglue his feet at the same time! He was so far beyond me; I felt like it would be impossible to ever properly duel him.

Regardless of all my faults in dueling, nothing was ever so terrible a time than when we had our first lesson of telekinesis.

That first Sunday morning, after I emerged from the bathroom, every object, the chairs, table, couch - everything - was pushed against the walls. Only the stove remained in the center of the room, and it buzzed indicating that it was the top of the hour (most likely nine o'clock.) Tom even had the rug rolled up in the corner so that all was on the floor was the compact dirt. Tom was in the middle of the room, near the stove, with his hands on his hips and his sleeves rolled up. He was patiently waiting for me to ask what was going on.

"Right then," I sighed, "what are we doing?"

He gave a short laugh and said, "Don't sound so depressed. I decided I needed to start expanding your horizons."

"By emptying the living room? My word, I must thank you my lord. I always wanted to rearrange the furniture." Tom's eyes grew into slits. No more funny business; I needed to be serious now.

"You can either take it or leave it. I don't have time for your complaining."

I walked up towards him, ensuring I didn't come too close. I widened my eyes, and tried to sound as sorry as possible. "I apologize for insulting you my lord. What horizons do you plan on expanding today?"

His hands were still resting on his hips as he judged whether or not I truly felt bad. We looked into each other's' eyes until he pulled away quickly and remarked, "Apology accepted. I said a while ago that I would teach you how to control your telekinesis, and now has been deemed fit a good time."

I couldn't control the smile that curled my lips. "Really?"

"Of course. Now, for the first lesson I want you to focus and try to raise my wand." He held out his yew wand which lied on his flat palm, outstretched in front of him. I was surprised he would let me practice with his wand; it was almost like another limb of his body.

I took a deep breath and concentrated on the yew stick in front of me. I stared at it until my eyes almost bugged out, and the damned thing still wouldn't move. I growled, frustrated at my own pathetic attempts. Perhaps I really didn't have telekinesis. Maybe I was a fraud, with freak accidents following me as I go.

"Giving up so easily?" Tom asked innocently.

I glared up at him. "I'm not giving up. I'm reevaluating my approach."

"Just try again." His eyes softened a bit, and my heart started pumping faster. Like I was going to focus on a wand when Tom was causing my mind to spin. I still had to keep reassuring myself that we were simply friends, but now he was making it difficult to remember.

The other times I caused things to levitate were when I was angry. If I'm angry at myself, I usually won't do anything; self-preservation I suppose? My eyes stared hard at the wand, and I imagined Rookwood being here, toying with me like he had last week at the wedding. I could almost hear him say how he thought that I still had feelings for him. I frowned, feeling my anger bubble in my chest, and the wand jumped in the air a couple inches.

I started to celebrate, but as soon as my mind calmed, it fell back into Tom's hand. He grasped it and congratulated me. "Now, for something a little harder."

He pocketed his wand, and walked over to the kitchen countertop. Tom picked up a glass vase, which had been the home to wilted flowers as of yesterday.

He held out his hand again with the glass vase resting atop his palm. "Now, instead of just raising it, I want you to put it back on the counter."

I tried thinking of Rookwood again, but I was being distracted by Tom. Although the whole idea of me using telekinesis was a good idea, I couldn't shake the feeling that Tom was doing it because he wanted to spend time with me. Maybe if I did well, he would show more affection for me. My imagination started to veer away from Rookwood towards Tom. I imagined embracing him after I dazzlingly accomplished all of his goals for me.

The real Tom had enough of my distractions.

"Eva! Can you try to pay attention? It's embarrassing to see this stuff. Focus on the vase, please!" My face became hot as a blush filled my cheeks. I had forgotten Tom could see my thoughts.

Now I felt even more at a loss. I couldn't think angry thoughts, not when I was near Tom. I was comfortable and happy around him, most of the time. How can I think of anger at a time like this?

"It seems you will need a little help." I heard his voice, but my mind was suddenly clouded with my memories. They ranged from the time I was brushing my hair in Hogwarts to when I used to watch the rain during my boarding school years. Tom was shifting through my memories like a book, flipping pages at random until he found the story he wanted to read. I heard him say something, but I had just remembered when I found my favorite shirt that was gone for the longest time underneath my bed during my fifth year.

Suddenly, as if it was happening at this moment, I was back in my Muggle boarding school, and Elizabeth Hatter was staring me in the face. She was one of my roommates and my worst enemy. This was the day I caused the furniture stuck to the ceiling. Her squeaky voice echoed through my head, and I saw my trembling younger self. I remember I wanted to punch her or rip one of her legs off. She was taunting me about my parents. The Headmistress of that school was the only one who knew about my situation, minus the magic. Elizabeth had overheard her one day complaining about me, saying I was slightly troubled because of my tragic past. "Your parents hated you so much they thought they'd rather die than be with you. That's pretty sad Eva Smith. No one loves you, and no one will ever love you. Who could love a weasel like you? You're not even pretty." I screamed at her, and as I raised my hands to grab her hair the beds and dressers went with them. I heard Elizabeth's scream echoing through my thoughts, which was overcome by Tom's laughter.

My mind became clear. Immediately I realized the vase and everything else in the room, except for Tom, myself, and the stove, had become stuck to the ceiling. "You really didn't like her?" Tom asked and laughed again. "Before you calm down, try and feel the invisible strings encircling the objects and reel them down." The way he described it was very strange. Yet it was a good as a description as any. I breathed evenly and watched as the couch and table next to the wall lowered at a slow pace. The vase gently fell into Tom's open hand.

"Again, I want you to take only the vase and place it back." That was easier said than done. Elizabeth still left me with some resentment, but my parent's death had been played out a little too much. Once I had confessed to Tom the truth of my past, the memory didn't plague me like it had before. Tom was becoming my closest confidant. Our relationship was blossoming so well. Still, I held a hidden desire to pursue further. Out of its own accord, my mind flashed with the thought of Tom and I kissing, and then taking things further onto the bed.

"Eva!" His sharp voice chased me out of my dream land. He was frowning, and clutching the vase tightly. His knuckles where white, and the veins in his arms were bulging. He said very slowly, putting apparent effort in making his words clear, "Would you please stop fantasizing about me?"

I made a face of frustration at my own weakness. I was embarrassed that Tom was suddenly filtering through my mind. Usually, he wouldn't investigate unless there is something he wanted to know. He must be trying to find something to make me angry to set off my powers. I wasn't sure if his discomfort was due to how truly repulsed he was to me or due to his unapparent attraction.

Then suddenly, like before, memories were soaring through my mind, but these were all of Tom. I saw the times where I would timidly follow him from class to class, all the while telling myself I was just curious about him. I saw Tom talking to me for the first time in the common room, flashing his grin at me. He was so very young then, but just as handsome.

Things became uncomfortable for me when he suddenly brought the memory of the Chamber into my mind. I recalled his crazed eyes, before we went into the girl's bathroom. We were running through the sewers, and the blinding light and wind rushed through my senses. His piercing laugh echoed all around my mind. Then I was there: in his arms. He kissed me with more hunger than I remember. Our lips were moving in motion, and his hands were sweeping through my hair, pulling my face closer to his. My eyes were closed, and I hesitantly put my hands in his hair. His jaw was working up and down, his lips closing around my own causing my legs to quiver. One of his hands grazed down my waist and ended up resting on my lower back. He used the same arm to pull my body closer to his as I placed my hands gently on his face, feeling the smoothness of his skin. Reliving this memory was almost more than I could bear. How much I desired this memory to become a reality. Why was Tom doing this?

The scene whisked away, and it became replaced with a cold, empty sensation. I felt lost in a black despair. But then I saw Tom's eyes flashing red at me. He was yelling at me for all my faults and all of my mistakes. His voice echoed throughout my mind – all of his terrible words hit me at once. His eyes were a deep blood red, a shade I had never encountered. His teeth were bared, and his whole face contorted into something very ugly. This must have been how he actually looked beneath his mask of calm.

Images that had never happened, but Tom must have thought, ran through my vision. I watched as his frightful self was towering over an image of me, grabbing my arm hard enough to break it. I was being pushed down, crying out in pain, which made him grin happily. The vision of me said in a teary voice, "Tom, why don't you love me?" He pushed my arm down further, shoving me to the floor. He let his grip off my arm, and I started repeating, "The Chamber, Tom. The Chamber." It was becoming annoying to my own ears, whereas Tom was no longer Tom. He had become Lord Voldemort fully, his face twisted and ugly, with permanent red eyes and a snakelike charm molded his face. He made frustrated squeal, and whipped out his wand, pointing it at the vision-me.

Suddenly, everything was set on fire, and my real pores were sweating. I couldn't see anything past the red flames, but I heard Tom's deep voice yell out a string of curse words. I blinked to fully see my surroundings. I was back in the seaside cabin, and I saw real flames licking uncontrollably out of the stove.

Tom was kneeling on the floor in front of me, grabbing the back of his head with his left hand. The vase, now shattered, was on the floor lying in a deep red pool. I followed the trail of blood and found it came from Tom. I looked around the room quickly, almost ready to panic. The furniture was haphazardly thrown around. Tom was still cursing as I knelt down in front of him.

Quickly assuming what I could, his mind reading must have caused an overreaction from me, as always. He just wanted to make me angry enough to latch onto the invisible string, but he went a little too far. Instead of sending the vase towards the counter and leaving it there, I must have sent it to the wall and back, letting it fly right into the back of Tom's head. Somehow I also caused the stove to ignite. But honestly, what did he expect after showing me those horrible things? He should have just kept in his own head.

While staring at Tom, I realized that I needed to put out the fire before it became any more dangerous. I didn't know where my wand was so I quickly picked up Tom's, which had dropped as he had been hit. I tried an extinguishing spell, but it wasn't very effective. Still, the flames were reduced and trapped inside the stove's belly.

I turned back to Tom. He seemed to be in a lot of pain, and I blurted out, "I'm so sorry! What do I need to do?"

He pointed towards the bathroom with his free hand, squinting through the pain to look at me. He was very upset. "Don't…touch me Eva. Go into the bathroom and fetch my healing potion…now!"

I slammed open the bathroom door and began searching the shelves of potions lining one of the walls. I finally found one with Tom's neat scrawl saying, "Healing Potion – rub on site of ailment." I quickly grabbed it and ran to where the bleeding Tom was now lying on the floor. His face was ghostly white, and his hands were bloody. He seemed to be unconscious. I struggled in flipping his body over so I could treat the gash. The slice was huge, and it seemed that there might be pieces of the vase inside the wound. It appeared that like the smashed vase pieces caught the back of his neck and ripped it open.

I took Tom's wand again and uttered "Episkey." I hoped it would heal the wound entirely.

It had not, but the glass managed to fly out and the bleeding lessened. Now it was time for the potion. I popped open the cork from the flask and let the grey-green sludge crawl into my hand. I rubbed about a small palmful of it on his wound and watched it heal slowly. After his healed skin was freshly pink, I turned his body back so I could see how his face was. Tom's eyes were still closed and his face looked whiter than the vampires. I realized we were lying in blood. He must have lost too much.

I set down the healing potion and ran into his study outside to search through all of his herbs and plants. As I burst open the door I went directly for his ingredients shelf. I needed Devil's Claw to stop what little blood he had from clotting and Motherwort to increase his blood. There was a very small bottle of unicorn blood, far in the back of the shelves that I was extremely tempted to use, but thought better of it. Instead, I used Mandrake leaves as the base for my thrown-together potion. I dropped all the ingredients into an empty cauldron and ran back to the house to set the mixture on a pot with some water.

After saying a few quick spells that increased the time of boiling point (while checking to make sure Tom was breathing the whole time), I filled up a glass to the brim with the dark pink liquid. My hands were burned as I had spilled some, but I was too worried about Tom to notice.

I was on my knees in front of Tom again. I opened his mouth slightly and poured the still scalding potion down his throat. It seemed like ages until something happened. I held onto his deathly cold hands, waiting for a sign of life.

After almost a minute, his skin started to darken and he coughed agitatedly. "Dear Merlin Eva! Did you need to burn my throat too?" he asked hoarsely. I was overjoyed that he was still alive and wrapped my arms around his neck, letting his head lie on my chest.

"Oh my lord! I'm so terribly sorry!" I exclaimed.

He pushed me off and sat up on the bloody floor. He looked at me and said simply, "That concludes today's lesson."

As we trekked through the forest, I was happy that he had come out alive from my mistake. After that first Sunday, we had all of our lessons outside and with safer objects. He also never invaded my mind again and was always overly-cautious when it came time for my lessons. After enough practice, I was able to channel my strong feelings to move a pillow around in the air.

Silently, I watched Tom stop and raise up a hand, indicating I should do likewise. A small, brown rabbit appeared ten feet in front of us on our side of the creek. Its head was buried in a bush, trying to find some food before winter was upon us. Tom pulled out his wand and aimed at the rabbit. One of the stones was in his other hand. With his wand hand he made a flourish and said, "Excipio Fera!"

A pink burst of mist flew out of his wand, but the rabbit escaped before it was hit. It ran away as fast as its legs could take it. I tried hard to keep in a giggle. Tom turned back at me, angry as if I had caused the rabbit to run away. Quickly, I hid my smile.

"We'll find another one," he growled. As he turned back around my smile reemerged. It was nice to see that Tom wasn't perfect.

After walking for another five minutes fruitlessly, Tom handed me one of his stones. "You saw how I performed the spell. I want you to try the next one."

I nodded, trying to remember the incantation. "'Excipio Fena' was it?"

"'Fera'. Like animal Eva – why would 'fena' make any sense?" He shook his head in frustration. "Can you please think before you speak?"

We marched onward until I grabbed his shirt to stop him. Silently, I pointed far ahead. There was another brown rabbit across the stream. It could have been the same one as before, but it didn't matter. It was my turn to try the spell.

I held out the stone and my wand in the rabbit's direction. I suddenly wondered if I should move closer so there would be a higher chance of my spell hitting. However, since autumn had come there were many dead leaves on the forest floor. The creek was not loud enough to cover the crunching of the leaves, and I didn't want to risk spooking the rabbit away. I made the same flourish as Tom and exclaimed, "Excipio Fera!"

The same pink mist shot towards the animal. While it did not run away like before, my aim was off. Tom gave a short laugh, and only then did the rabbit hop away. We continued our journey searching for more creatures.

Tom smiled at me as he spoke, "Your aim is truly awful. How did you pass the performance part of your NEWTS?" He shook his head good-naturedly. "It's going to take so much practice for you to duel properly. You can't even hit a rabbit, how could you hit a wizard?"

Finally I couldn't take enough of his criticism. "If I'm not mistaken, you too missed the rabbit! They're just too damned fast!" I raised my hands in frustration. I could most definitely hit a wizard, but a rabbit is a small and quick thing.

"If you keep yelling like that, we'll be out here all morning. I still have more to teach you about the stones." Tom left my side to walk around a tree while I kept to the left of the creek.

"You do? Are you going to explain what these soul stones have to do with dueling? Am I supposed to use them to summon an animal soul to help me fight?"

He turned his head back around to give me a strange look. "You think of the oddest things," he said critically. He faced forward again. The flat forest soon turned into a sloping hill. Further ahead I saw the creek was thinning out. I thought, because the rabbit had been on the other side last time, we should cross.

Tom continued talking. "The soul stones are not to be used in dueling. I mean, really, a soul's power cannot be fully used unless it has a functioning vessel. The soul stones are just intermediaries. Did you not pay attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts? What were you doing at Hogwarts?"

I thought about it. What did I do instead of learning my lessons? Oh yes, I was obsessing over Tom. I smiled to myself when I recalled how I would fill my parchment notes with scribbles of Tom's name and writing "Mrs. Eva Riddle" over any blank piece of paper. I wanted to practice my future signature.

I supposed Tom had been peering into my thoughts when he groaned. He slowed down his pace so that we were next to each other as he looked me in the eye. "Dear Merlin, you actually did these things? You…" he shook his head as if I was indescribable. However, he didn't finish his sentence as he stared past my shoulder.

He was silent, but his eyes encouraged me to look as well. As I turned I saw a large white rabbit. By the time I looked back at Tom he already had his stone and his wand out and aimed. I stepped out of the way as he fired the spell.

Third time was a charm. The pink mist zoomed over to the rabbit and enveloped its whole body. The little rabbit was wide-eyed as the mist enclosed. A second later its body dropped to the ground, while its stare became glazed. The mist slowly floated back into the stone. I looked at the soul stone in Tom's hand, and where it had before been multi-colored inside now became white and pink.

Tom was very pleased with his catch as he tucked the stone in his robe pocket. I was a bit disappointed that I hadn't caught the animal, but now I was curious to what the stone's purpose was.

Tom was about to talk when suddenly we heard a large thud somewhere north of us, where the rabbit had come from. After came a progression of crunching of leaves and then silence. Tom's face was interested. He took my arm and indicated to follow him as he crossed the stream. I obliged, and as we rounded a number of trees, I saw in the far distance that there was a clearing ahead. Tom kept a hold of me as we walked further. I wondered why he didn't let go.

I whispered, "Are you going to let me catch another rabbit?"

He turned to me with his finger raised to his mouth indicating to be quiet. He looked a bit perturbed at having to tell me. Finally Tom dragged me through the last of the trees, and the meadow was in our sight. The clearing was pleasant with tall yellow and green grass. There was a black boulder ahead of us, perhaps twenty feet in front. It was strange for a large rock to be out here where there was only a small hill to the east of us that could have distributed it.

All at once, the black rock lifted its head. And I realized it was not a rock: it was a bear. I wanted to scream, but instead I swung my head to see Tom's reaction. He looked at me and said, "Go! Aim and cast your spell at it!"

The blood rushed from my face as I saw the bear charging towards me. My legs were going weak, and I was afraid. However, I carefully lifted my wand and my stone, but it was too slow for Tom's liking. He took a spare stone out of his robes clumsily, but he was still faster than I was. Tom shouted, "Excipio Fera!"

But the mist missed. The bear continued its charge. Time became slower. Its long claws dug up the dirt off of the ground. I saw its huge incisors flash under it's flapping gums. Its tongue was wagging out of his monstrous mouth. The bear roared out a huge growl, and its size only increased as it came closer. I tried to say the incantation, but again, like with the manticore, I was too frightened.

By now, the bear was close enough that I knew it was going to take me down. My mind went blank with fear. Strangely, within those brief seconds, I felt myself pushed out of the bear's charge. As I was falling to the floor, I saw that it was Tom that pushed me.

Whatever fear I had of the bear turned into something else. I was now more afraid for Tom's safety. In the brief seconds as I fell, I watched the bear run into Tom. Tom lost his balance and fell. A moment later, the bear reached up a huge paw and swat at Tom, knocking away his wand. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and my thoughts were made clear. As I lied on my back, I threw out my hands holding the soul stone and my wand, and I screamed, "Excipio Fera!"

Being only inches away from the creature, the spell had made its mark. The bear's body collapsed onto Tom's legs, and the color of my stone changed to a brown and pink swirl. I stood up and pointed my wand again to the bear's carcass. "Mobiliarbus." The bear rose into the air and landed a few feet away.

I knelt next to Tom to see what his condition was. His face was contorted in pain, but he was alive. He cradled his chest with his left arm as he lied on the ground. His right arm was lying limp next to him. I was afraid it was broken. He seethed with every breath he took, and I worried about internal injuries. "My lord! Can you Apparate us home? I'll take care of you as soon as we arrive. But you know I cannot Apparate there."

He winced again and held out his left hand, covered in blood, to me. I took it gently. The meadow with the dead bear engulfed into blackness. In the next instant, we were lying on the cold grass next to the chicken coop. Sounds of home greeted me, and I was granted another a rush of strength. I could take care of Tom. This was no worse than when I had hit him with the vase. At least, that was what I had to tell myself.

I was far too weak to carry Tom into the house, so I used what spells were available to me. Tom floated steadily, guided by my wand, until I was able to lay him gently on the bed. The whole time he clutched his chest while his right arm hung from his shoulder. A trail of blood tracked through the house, but that was unimportant.

Tom was not pale as he had been on my first day of telekinesis, but he was in much more pain. The pain was so great he didn't bother talking to me and only focused on breathing. I knew I needed to see what the damage was before I could say the right spell or use the right potion.

"My lord – I need to take your clothes off so I can see the damage," I tried to say as tenderly as possible.

Through his grimace he nodded curtly. Taking the left portion off was no difficulty, but I was worried about the right side. I spoke a spell, "Mobilicorpus," to raise Tom's body so I could pull the right sleeve of the robe off. Though I was as gentle as possible he still gave a small grunt as I pulled the clothes off his arm. Once that was done, I quickly undid the buttons of his once white shirt. As the bear had swung, it must have broken Tom's arm. The claws kept going across his chest causing shallow wounds. He was lucky in that regard, but until I saw his chest I was afraid that the bear had caused some internal bleeding.

Once I had his shirt off, I realized my fears were correct. I lowered Tom's body back onto the bed and evaluated him. He was already developing a massive bruise on his right side. His arm had no pierced skin, however it appeared to have broken. I was worried about casting a bone-healing spell since I knew what the consequences would be if something went wrong. But most of all I was unsure what to do about the bruising.

If Tom hadn't been hurt, I might have felt awkward seeing him shirtless. Even though we had been living together for a year and more, we never saw each without proper clothing.

I rushed to the bathroom as soon I understood what Tom required. Quickly I found an average healing potion, but as hard as I searched, there was nothing indicating bruising or bone repair.

I came back to Tom's side, and he squinted at me through the pain. I told him what I saw, "My lord, it looks as if your arm is broken, but all I can do for it is to cast a spell. And your chest has had some massive bruising. I'm not sure exactly what I can do, but I have this potion that I'm going to try."

He stayed silent and watched me as he breathed raggedly. "Episkey," I muttered for the cuts on his chest. I poured a couple of tablespoons of potion down his throat, and after that he muttered something. "What is it my lord?"

He groaned then said softly, "My… arm. Fix… my… arm…"

I frowned, unsure of my own skill when it came to the spell. Tom teased me so much today about my magic that I was more worried than I should have been. But there was no other way. I pointed my wand at the break and spoke the words. "Brackium Emendo."

I gave a sigh of relief as I saw his arm line up straight and the swelling go down. Soon his face appeared less twisted from pain, and Tom too let out a sigh. He reached with his left hand to feel the newly healed bone, probably checking for mistakes. He seemed satisfied then closed his eyes with relief.

But his breath was still ragged, and the notion that he may have broken his ribs came to mind. His yellow bruising was spreading across his chest, and I knew it needed attention. "My lord, do you think your ribs are broken as well?"

In between breaths, but with his eyes still closed, he muttered, "Yes. Fix… my… ribs… now…"

I didn't want to just aim the spell and hope I fixed the right bone. I pressed my fingers on each rib, one by one, until he flinched and gave a quick shout. His eyes flew open, and he glared at me. I had to ignore him and continue pressing to make sure it was just one rib. The next rib also made him flinch, but not as much as before. After that he made no reaction. "Brackium Emendo," I said again, and with good luck this time as well. Perhaps Tom was underestimating my magic skills if I could do this right.

I watched him for a few minutes until his breathing returned to normal. His face gained back color, and his hands began to relax. I assumed there was no internal bleeding, but I wanted to be sure. I would explore his study to find some healing books I had read before. Tom closed his eyes, but I wasn't sure if he had gone to sleep or not. Surely after an ordeal such as this, he needed his rest.

I was about to leave his side to go to his study when he snatched my hand. Though he looked much healthier, his hand was as cold as ice. I gently put my other hand atop his to warm him. He kept his eyes closed. Now that he was feeling better, I felt I needed to tell him my gratitude.

"Thank you, my lord, for saving me. You were so brave, and I was… I was the one who allowed you to be hurt. I'm so sorry." He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. For a while we sat in silence, and then he spoke.

"I don't know why I saved you." He wasn't angry or bitter – he was confused. I didn't know how to respond. I only gripped his hand tighter. He rarely let me touch him this long, and I wanted to take advantage of it. Then he turned his head, and his grey eyes caught mine. His face was serious.

Tom stared at me for so long, I had to look away. Why was he acting so strange? It's not like I saved his life – he saved mine! Then his hand began stroking my right arm, where my Dark Mark was tattooed. My heart began to race, and I could feel my breath quicken. Something about his touch on my Mark was unusual. It was a mix of pleasure and pain. The pain was felt in my bone, and it made me want to take his hand off. But the pleasure was something akin to kissing, and I didn't want him to stop.

"I said I was going to put some color on it some time ago, didn't I?" His eyes were staring fondly at the skull with a snake emerging out of its mouth. His fingers traced the black print, and at this point the pain almost outweighed the pleasure. I said breathily, "It feels very strange when you touch it, my lord." I sounded more girlish than I meant, and I blushed.

His eyes became narrow, and he looked into my eyes. "Really?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

I pulled my arm away from his touch. I couldn't bear the feeling anymore. My bone ached, and I cradled it to me. He still kept grinning at me, as if he knew the strange feelings he was invoking on me. But then he gave a deep sigh, closed his eyes, and said, "I'm hungry – feed me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of the comments, kudos, and hits this has received. I am humbled and appreciative of this community's support. Also, I was thinking about making some sort website like pinterest or tumblr to showcase some pictures that inspire this story. If I make one, I will be sure to put it in the top notes. There are a few more chapters on the way so please look forward to more.


	16. October 18, 1948

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Eva contemplate the bear attack.

Albania  
(1947-1957)

October 17, 1948

Later that evening, after we had eaten dinner, Tom and I finished up a few chores. He was sitting on a chair, scrubbing out the blood from his shirt on the laundry board. His face was intense as he scoured the once white fabric. I was at the sink, charming the dishes to clean and dry themselves. The sun was setting, and it was the most beautiful time of the day. I gazed out the window into the dark green forest with the colorful sky hanging above. The birds had quieted down, but Hoot was just waking up. He was perched on the window sill "helping" me by softly hooting at every spell I cast.

Tom rested for most of the afternoon while I tended to the garden, harvesting what was left of the summer crop. Once he woke up from a nap, I checked him over. His bones seemed completely healed, yet his chest was tender. I searched through the healing books to find a cure for the bruising, but I was missing a key ingredient for most of the potions. Tom acted as though he was fine, yet he could not hide his wince when he bent over.

Currently, I was chopping up the vegetables for tomorrow's dinner as well as making our lunches since we would be searching the forest again. By now the sun was touching the ocean in the west. I truly loved being out here for the natural beauty alone. It was even more wonderful that I was with Tom, despite his occasional outburst.

I looked at him again. He was still furiously scrubbing the shirt. To be a bit of help, I gave him a potion to take out blood stains. It worked for me earlier, but I had used it all when I to clean the trail of blood out of the nice carpet. I had made him a fresh batch, but it wasn't working as well as I had hoped. I told him I would do it, but he didn't trust me. It had to be done his way.

Some days, I would wake up and find the whole house cleaned, his laundry done, and the water boiling. As meticulous as he was about his work, the same went for his cleanliness. Of course, he was well-kept in Hogwarts, but I always assumed it was his charming personality that led to his perfection. After sleeping in the same bed and eating under the same roof, I came to find out the invisible force that demands even the smallest details in his plans perfect was the same force that kept him washing the shirt with the blood stains that weren't fading away.

I finished preparing the food by the time Hoot flew away into the darkness through the open window. It was getting colder now so I closed it. A minute later, I fumbled with the middle dresser drawer to pull out some old clothes that needed darning. I tried fixing it with spells, but the needles didn't work as smoothly as they did when held by human hands. I sat down on the couch with the candle light and the flames from the stove to light my hands. Absentmindedly I began to talk to Tom.

"I have been thinking, what are we going to do about the Dementors? We just entered, destroyed their eggs, and then left without a trace. Do you think they may not want to side with us?"

Tom looked up from his soap-soaked hands. "They will be on our side – I just need to talk to the right one. At Auschwitz, I made myself known to the head breeder. Word should have traveled by now to the main Dementor in charge of negotiations, whom I believe resides at Azkaban. And that is where my plan falters. I have no good reason to be at Azkaban, and I haven't been able to think one up. So until the time where I can manage breaking us into the wizard's prison, the Dementors are not high on my list of recruits." His tone was curt and on edge.

Then he went back to his shirt, frowning as he continued washing up and down the laundry board.

At times, working with Tom had become surreal, as if all of our planning and searching for his diadem were just average every day routines that I would die with. But then I had to remember one day he would finally emerge as Lord Voldemort. He was making plans to have the Dementors, vampires, and a whole list of marginalized magical creatures at his side. Occasionally I wondered if I would be there too.

I said in the past I knew what I was getting into with Tom, but there were times where I still questioned myself. I considered leaving him only when things were difficult or when he was mad at me. During every one of those instances, I told myself that we would pull through, and I would eventually be with the good Tom, the happy Tom.

However, I had seen with my own eyes that the real Tom Riddle was nothing like how I kept envisioning him. Did that mean I didn't love him? Perhaps I was not in love with the real Tom Marvolo Riddle: the flesh and blood of the words 'power' and 'arrogance'. I was in love, moreover I was infatuated, with what I wanted him to be - ignoring his faults or at least accepting them to a lovingly degree.

His unleashing terror, his secretive manners, his lack of sympathy for human life, and his ultimate motives were his worst faults and no secret to me by now. In Hogwarts, even in our first year here, I dismissed them to find comfort in his limited good qualities. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but his long list of bad qualities was starting to get on my nerves – especially his constantly conflicting emotions. I never knew what his true feelings were for me.

But in a sense, I still held strong emotions for the real Tom Riddle; simply not the same ones as five years ago. After more than a year together, I had come to realize that a lot of what I disliked about him was going to have to be. On the other hand, there was so much to him that I had not taken the time to find out or cherish during Hogwarts. He is not just an object of love, as I had made him the years previous. He was a real man, with flaws and attributes that kept me wanting him.

For instance, he compliments me on my food now that I had improved. The appreciation was especially treasured as he made sure that I knew when it was inedible. To my gratitude, he always gave me a day off every week and never took it away from me. Although I had given him many outbursts and disrespected his ego quite a few times, he never banished me. Tom always acted a gentlemen with me physically. Every time we Apparate, he always holds my arm very gently, as if I was a porcelain doll. He gives me privacy and never acting inappropriately, unlike other the men I encountered during Hogwarts. Further, he teaches me to improve my magic skills. He trusts my potion skills as well.

But the one thing that stood out the most in my growing care for him was that he was the one to invite me to live with him. I never asked, and I never begged him. Yet, he found me and took me. What could else could that mean? Though I was tired of a one-sided love, I knew there had to be more.

Then again, Tom was bad. Everyone knew it, including my old professor Dumbledore. Does an evil man have a heart? If so, was I meant to be on the evil side? Tom laughed at me when I asked him one day why he insisted on dominating the world. "Eva, I'm not a bad guy. There is no good or evil: there is only power. And only I deserve it. I am the only one unafraid to take it."

I suppose it was destiny to end up in this situation with Tom. Surprisingly, once I realized I was not head over heels in love with Tom, it was hard to constantly remind myself of that fact. It felt easy to slip back into my fantasy land, where I loved him till death and beyond. Still, I knew Tom wouldn't admit he was in love with a woman who was too lost in her own imagination. If we were ever going to have a true love, the one I so craved for, I would have to accept my real feelings and not my fantastical notions.

Suddenly Tom interrupted my thoughts by standing to his feet and yelling out a frustrated cry. He slammed his shirt into the soapy water of the tub. Then he turned on me, while I sat on the couch fixing a hole in one of his socks. His eyes were red, which meant only one thing: he was very angry.

"Eva! What kind of potion did you give me? How long was it supposed to take to get the bloodstains out? Centuries?" I stopped my knitting and quietly stared at him as he yelled. "Did you even give me the right potion?"

I stood up, nodding. Right now I needed to find the cauldron and check the list to make sure I had made it correctly. I was becoming afraid that he had good reason to be upset with me. Tom watched me silently walk to the opposite corner of the kitchen where the cauldron sat. I looked at the color, and it was supposed to be a bright, leafy green. What it was could have been called more lime green leaning towards yellow. I went over the ingredient list that was on the counter. I put in the Devil's Claw, the red mushrooms, the chicken feet, the minced frog eyes, and – no wait. I didn't put in the eyes because we ran out on my last batch.

I turned back to Tom with a worried face that he immediately recognized. "I'm sorry. I forgot the frog eyes."

His face contorted furiously. "Were you not watching me this past hour struggle to clean the damned shirt?" he yelled at me. I cowered my head and walked past him to the couch to put away the socks. I wasn't sure why he was so upset over a shirt, but I knew the best thing to do was to ride the storm.

"What is wrong with you – are you that selfish that you don't even see other's problems?"

I could hear his yelling coming closer as I closed the dresser drawer. When I turned around he was mere feet away. His hands flew around as he complained about me, and his eyes kept glancing around the room. "Eva! Are you even listening? I don't understand how you can mess up such a simple potion. You are so stupid at times, I can't believe it." Tom kept inching closer to me. His voice became quieter but no less upset. "I can't believe you are the same woman who healed me earlier today. Are there two of you – do you have an intelligent twin that only appears when we are in dire need?" When he finished, he was a foot away from me.

I was hurt by his comments; however they also appeared like backhanded compliments. I backed up as far as I could until I hit the dresser.

Tom stayed silent. He gave a labored breath, due to his yelling and his bruises from earlier. I didn't understand why he this upset. There had to be something else beyond the shirt. Even the way he was shouting at me was unusual. It seemed like he was shouting to himself rather than at me. Tom's now grey eyes locked into mine, and I felt entranced by him. Seeing him upset like this, whether it was at me or not, made him look more handsome than usual - if that was possible. His jaw was flexing, and his eyes were burning into mine. I didn't know what was going to happen next.

Instantly, he grabbed my shoulders tightly, as if he was about to pull me into an embrace. His eyes traveled slowly down my body, and I felt a bit nervous. I hadn't taken a bath yet today, and I knew my clothes were still ripped and bloodied from earlier. His hands released me. Tom softly stroked my arms while his eyes locked onto mine, and I felt even more nervous. What was he doing?

The he took a shaky breath and pushed himself away from me. Wordlessly, he turned around and went through the door into the night. I stood there, slightly trembling. What happened between us just now? Had he just shown me some of his true feelings? Tom looked as if he was going to devour me whole a moment ago, but then he ran out into the cold night air.

Right away I worried about how cold he might become. I grabbed one on of his heavy robes and hurried outside. Tom was walking towards the ocean. The moon was almost full, and it bounced it's reflection onto the sea. A chilly wind gusted through the trees, and I shivered. I called out to him, but he either didn't hear me or didn't want to hear me. I ran up to him and stood close to his back with his robe in my arms. I spoke above the sounds of the crashing waves, "Please, come back inside. It's too cold out here. I'm worried for you."

I expected him to push me away instantly, but strangely he allowed me to lean close against him. His body was firm and warm. But the most provoking sensation was his smell. I had grown accustom to it since we share a bed as well as a house. Still, the act of breathing him deeply while standing so close to him was wonderfully pleasant.

He sighed, and I could feel it through his back. Then he stepped away from me and turned around. Tom looked at me seriously, but not in anger or frustration. He simply looked tired. "Go back inside. I'll come in when I'm ready." Tom took the robe from my hand and put it on.

"Just – just forget tonight," he muttered and turned back around. He continued walking towards the cliffs, leaving me alone to shiver. I weakly obeyed and went back inside. I was asleep before he returned.

**Tom POV**

I couldn't take it anymore. The shirt, the stains, the bear, the whole ordeal! Why did I saved Eva in the first place – it didn't make any sense. I could have been the one to fix her wounds, but instead I pushed her out of the way to take the beating instead. Why would I do something so foolish?

I stood up and threw the shirt into the tub. Water splashed onto my pants. "Eva!" Now she ruined my shirt on top of everything.

"What kind of potion did you give me? How long was it supposed to take to get the bloodstains out? Centuries?"

I seethed at her while she, like a thunderstruck deer, stared at me from the couch with her knitting needles limply lying in her hands. I watched her swallow and nod. Then she stood up to inspect the potion, still lying in the cauldron at the end of the counter.

My eyes followed her as she walked past me. This woman - this girl - was infuriating me to no end. Why did I have her here with me? So that I can risk my life to save the likes of her? What made me even more upset was that everything happened so instinctively.

I missed the bear. What I needed to do was fire the killing curse and be done with it. Yet I wanted that bear's soul because it would be much better practice than a rabbit. As I gathered up my strength to perform another soul capture spell, I realized it was far too near Eva. Suddenly my mind became blank, and my body automatically pushed her out of the way. I would have been able to kill the bear if it hadn't broken my right arm immediately.

Then she did the unthinkable. She actually captured its soul. But by then I was injured and allowed myself to become helpless to her care. Remembering that weakness gave me even more anger. Eva turned to me from reading, and her face was forlorn.

"I'm sorry. I forgot the frog eyes."

She said it too casually, as if it was a simple mistake. The whole time I have been working tirelessly, and she didn't bother to think that something was wrong with her potion? Why did I save someone like her, who couldn't even notice something so obvious!

I began yelling at her, "Were you not watching me this past hour struggle to clean the damned shirt?"

She hid away from my anger as she pranced around to put her knitting away. She acted as if she could ignore me. Well, I wasn't about to let that happen. "What is wrong with you – are you that selfish that you don't even see other's problems?"

The sight of her standing there, messing with the drawers and acting like nothing had happened today was driving me wild. Did she not know what I had done for her? Never in my life had I taken a chance to risk myself for another person. And here she was, parading around the room as if she deserved my sacrifice. "Eva! Are you even listening? I don't understand how you can mess up such a simple potion. You are so stupid at times, I can't believe it." During the frenzy of the bear she was able to save me. Knowing that she had to save me made me even more infuriated. How could this silly woman be able to take care of me and yet be foolhardy? "I can't believe you are the same woman who healed me earlier today. Are there two of you – do you have an intelligent twin that only appears when we are in dire need?"

I hadn't realized I was advancing upon her until we were inches apart. Her face was flushed, and she stared at me intently. However, she was not afraid of me like she usually was when I shouted at her.

I looked at her, really looked, and evaluated her. Somehow in my subconscious I willingly saved this woman and took injury upon myself. Why did I do this? A strange feeling emerged, and I heard a voice in my head answer me, "Because you didn't want her hurt." Did I care if she was hurt? I could heal her, most likely. Stepping in front of a deadly bear for her didn't seem an appropriate response. Yet that was what I had done.

Perhaps Eva was not frightened of me because she had seen the true reason of my anger, which now was only apparent to me. I was angry at myself for caring about her. No matter how hard I try to become beyond human, I am weighed down by emotions. I must have grown attached to her after living so long with only her constant company. If there was a curse that would rid me of such feelings, I would gladly enchant myself.

Her wide, blue eyes were intent on mine. Her soft lips were parted, and her golden hair framed her face. The woman in front of me was no longer the little girl who stalked me at Hogwarts. Although I should admit that her mind had not matured much farther. A rush of unexpected emotions ran through my mind, akin to when we were in the Chamber of Secrets long ago. But I hadn't performed the horcrux curse, so why was this happening now?

My hands instinctively went to her shoulders. I had to fight myself back from wanting to pull her body close to mine and feel the softness of it. Instead I allowed myself to graze the soft skin of her arms. All the while, she stood there accepting my strange behavior. I wanted to kiss her lips and embrace her. But I also wanted to do more than just that. I could grab her now and throw her on the bed next to us, and she wouldn't try to stop me. I knew she wouldn't because she's thought the same thing of me plenty of times.

Yet she does that because she loves me. What would it mean if I made her fantasies real? Would that mean I loved her? No, Lord Voldemort doesn't love, and I don't have any feelings for her beyond wanting her body.

This ordeal was becoming too much for me to continue walking the line. I took a breath and pushed myself away from her. I was always in control, but I didn't feel like that was true now. I needed to escape her. Had she bewitched me earlier or given me a love potion? Was the past repeating in some twisted way? No, Eva would not do such a thing as that. I saw her heart and her mind. She wanted me to love her truly or not at all.

I needed to leave. I needed to be stronger than these pathetic human emotions. I turned away from her and made my way outside. I hoped the cold air would knock some sense back into me.

The night air was brisk, and there was a cool breeze. The crickets were chirping in the forest. I felt drawn towards the ocean. My mind was already beginning to clear when I heard Eva emerge from the house. "Come back inside, my lord."

I continued walking towards the cliffs, and to my discontent she followed. Why was I getting so worked up about a stupid woman?

While I was trying to compose myself by focusing on anything other than Eva, she had snuck up on me. Surprisingly she stood close, and I could almost feel her warmth in my back. Of all the things she could do to me right now, this was the worst and the best. She spoke clearly, "Please, come back inside. It's too cold out here. I'm worried for you."

She was always worried for me, as if I could not take care of myself. She needed to worry about herself more. She moved closer, and the warmth of her yielding body pressed onto me. I didn't want her to go, but then I chastised myself for being so weak. I took a large step away and turned to her. It was hard to fight these strange feelings bubbling over in me, but I must. I was all-powerful Lord Voldemort. I couldn't allow things like human desires to stand in my way.

"Go back inside. I'll come in when I'm ready." I snatched the coat from her hands so she would stop fretting about me.

Eva was looking back up at me, unsure of what was going on. "Just – just forget tonight." I turned away from her to stare back out into the ocean. I heard the door shut softly, and I let out a sigh. Try as I might to forget what had happened between us, her face haunted me wherever I went. I paced to the trees, then back to the cliffs, then over to the smaller house, and then back toward the trees. No matter how hard I tried to forget her, she pervaded my thoughts.

Her smile, her laugh, her stare – I couldn't escape it. Why did she control my attention today? I never thought about her like this. Yes, I enjoyed flirting with her harmlessly to see her reaction, but I never meant it. Suddenly now I did?

Perhaps. She was a female, and an attractive one as well. I shook my head as I began thinking about her again. I reasoned, these lust sensations happened to everyone. This was completely natural, basic human nature, and I should have seen this coming. Eva and I stuck together by ourselves would eventually lead towards certain feelings. But it was not love. I did not love her. I was only using her for my own purpose.

Regardless, I shouldn't pursue these newly developed ideas; only because Eva would not understand, and she would take it for love. I needed to be stronger than this. Determinedly, I felt I should start a search tomorrow to see if there was magic to cure these thoughts.

After what seemed like an hour, my mind calmed and tiredness hit me. My chest ached with soreness. Eva had done much better than I expected. It takes a real talent in healing magic to get those spells correct. I shook my head, irked that I had thought of her yet again. However, it was time for rest.

I made my way back inside as quietly as I could. I noticed Eva was already sleeping. She had done well with my rules and always stayed on the left side of the bed. It was easy to share a bed with her since she did not move much and slept deeply. Her hair was spread carelessly on her pillow and across her face. Her face was relaxed and her mouth hung slightly open. She had pulled the sheets up high, so most of her body was covered. But she hadn't always done so, especially during the summer months. As I saw her sleep, my first instinct was to wake her up and finish what I tried to start earlier. Then I realized that, as much as I wanted to be in the comfortable bed, I couldn't trust myself tonight with her.

I clenched my fists and turned away quickly before I did something I would regret. I supposed the couch would have to do for the night. I stole a blanket that was folded on top of the dresser and began to lie down on the couch. As I tossed and turned, I couldn't understand how this sofa, which was perfectly acceptable to sit on, was terribly uncomfortable to sleep on. Before I finally managed to drift off, I briefly regretted making Eva sleep here for weeks on end.

* * *

 

October 18, 1948

The next day had begun quite normally. As Tom commanded yesterday, we both purposely forgot about what happened last night. I thought quite enough about it after he had sent me away, but I concluded that I would never truly understand what he was thinking. He had such a fever in his eyes, the only memory of Tom I could compare it to was when we were in the Chamber.

But this time he didn't kissed me; he only fondled me. Also, he allowed me to hug him, which was so rare I couldn't remember the last time he allowed let me do such a thing. Still, Tom was right, and the best thing to do, for now, was to ignore what happened. I now knew the dangers of pushing such a subject onto Tom. If he ever wanted us to become more than a master and servant, then he would have to pursue it. I would be ready and willing if he did, for my heart was here to love him. But until then, I was happy enough being his closest friend, if that could describe our relationship.

Today was Monday, which meant it was time to search the forest for hours on end. I made our lunches the last night. Thus, right after a silent breakfast, Tom and I Apparated to the new location and promptly split up.

After the work day was done, with no crown in hand as per usual, we supped. I prepared a marinated chicken with baked potatoes and roasted red pepper. It turned out delicious, and Tom silently agreed by eating everything on his plate.

After we put almost twenty-four hours between us and last night, Tom appeared the most peaceful he had been all day. Ever since we had woken, he was fidgety and engulfed in his thoughts. He only spoke to me when it was necessary, which was usually to complain. While eating dinner, however, his demeanor calmed. We even made a little small talk.

After I finished the dishes and prepared tomorrow's lunch, I sat down to finish sewing the socks I started yesterday. I pulled out my wand, which slipped between the cushions and pointed at the stove. The logs were set ablaze making the room feel much warmer. After dinner, Tom left to go outside, "For a bit of fresh air." He hadn't returned, but this was not unusual. Some nights he would spend all his evening in his study; other nights he would spend them pouring over a book at the table or practicing some spells outside where there was enough room and light.

Presently the door burst open, and Tom entered the room. He had two large books in his hands, the titles unreadable due to distance. He slammed them on the table. The next moment he sat down and stuck his head into the first one, searching intensely without a word to me. He always claimed that the light was better in the main house, but secretly I wondered if he wanted my company.

For a while, we peacefully sat in the cozy house. The fire was cracking in the stove and the sunlight was fading into darkness outside. Hoot was milling about around the room, waiting for it to become the perfect shade of dusk. Then the time arrived, and he tapped at the kitchen window wanting me to open it for him. I pushed myself out of the sinking couch to oblige him. Looking out the window after Hoot flew out, I saw in the last of the light that the chickens and goats had enough food and water to last them until tomorrow. I closed the window since it was far too cold to keep it open now.

As I made my way back to the couch, Tom spoke. "Do you ever miss Hogwarts?" he asked plainly. I glanced at him. He was standing straight in his chair, his hands on the book in front of him, but his eyes towards me, waiting for the answer.

I did not expect this question so I had to think for a moment. After a pause, I replied, "Well, I suppose I do, at times. I don't miss studying, and most of the students annoyed me. Still, it was a fun place to live and explore. I think, most of all, Hogwarts was special to me because you were there."

He frowned slightly at my last sentence. "What you're saying is that if I had not attended, you would not have enjoyed the school?"

I decided to sit at the table with Tom in order to continue our conversation more cordially. I imagined what my life would have been like without Tom ever attending Hogwarts. I probably would have attended to my studies better, but I wouldn't have come to learn all the secret passageways, explore the Forbidden Forest, seek out all of the magical rooms, practiced magic that the professors didn't teach, and maybe I wouldn't have made any friends. I couldn't see myself being brave or outgoing without Tom boosting my confidence.

"No," I finally said, "I don't think I would have. I probably would have just hid away, waiting for graduation."

Tom gave me a suspicious look. "I think you are underestimating your power of obsession. Most likely, if I had, for some reason, not attended you would have been drawn towards someone else and followed them until you got what you wanted."

I gave a quick snort of laughter. "Until I got what I wanted? You make it sound like I'm using you, rather than you using me."

"Aren't you?" he quipped back. "You fill your head with this notion of love, but it's all a farce. You are with me because you see my potential and you want the power that comes along with it." His mouth was relaxed, but there was a smile in his eyes.

"No, that's not true! Well, what I mean is that's not entirely why I follow you. No one could replace you. I wouldn't love anyone else but you."

Now it was Tom's turn to laugh. "You keep saying you love me all the time, and I can see that you don't fully believe it. Be honest with yourself about me – you are honest about everything else which is what I like about you."

I turned my face from him, since I could feel myself blushing from his compliment. At the same time, I was perturbed by the fact that he was right. Like I had come to realize, I was just in love with my own version of Tom – not the real one. A one-sided love wasn't real. It was only longing. Perhaps it would be best to stop retreating to my fantasy world with a fantasy Tom. I was going to be twenty by the end of a month, so I had no excuse to live in an imaginary world like a child.

Nonetheless, I did have a true faith that Tom would rule the world with me at his side, so of course I would naturally conclude that I too would inherit power from my position. Was I blinding myself from that truth by my infatuation with Tom Riddle?

He gave me no time to consider it as he spoke again. "Do you remember before I left Hogwarts that I applied for a professor position?"

Instantly I remembered how angry he was after emerging from the Headmaster's apartment. Tom had flown by me, as if I was invisible, and I didn't see him again until he tracked me down at the Leaky Cauldron. I nodded.

"Yes, well I want to go back and apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position again."

Suddenly an image of Tom wearing the faculty robes, trying to control a room of rambunctious first years and demonstrating a weak protection spell, came into my mind. His smooth voice interrupted my imagination, with a hint of force in his words keep me from laughing. "Eva! I wouldn't just be their teacher. I would become their mentor, their guide, their idol. You remember how weak the students' minds were. It was like molding clay. As wizards grow older, the clay hardens. I could be wielding an army in my hands right now if only Dippet had given me the job." Tom made a fist with his hands, and I could see some resentment that had been built up pouring out. He finished his speech, "Once I get the diadem, I will try again."

Tom relaxed his hands and looked upon me calmly. "When I go back to Hogwarts, I will try to get you a job as well. What would you like to teach?"

"Well… I'm not sure. I'm not very good at anything." Our Sunday practices were vivid in my mind, and I was realizing I was pretty worthless compared to Tom.

Tom frowned and crossed his arms around his chest. "Stop being modest. You were one of the brightest in your class – you seemd good at everything."

I looked at the table in embaressment from another compliment from Tom. I spoke as I stared at the patterns in the wood. "I only received good grades because I spent every moment I had studying and doing homework."

"Not after you met me. You spent your nights with me or your friends. Yet, you still did well on your O.W.L.S. and your N.E.W.T.S. So don't tell me you're not good at anything. Pick a teaching position."

My heart was racing as I heard his words. They were completely different from his teasing in the forest yesterday. Then, he had ridiculed me to no end, but now he wanted me to accept that I was an excellent witch? I pulled my eyes back to his. His eyebrows were raised, waiting for my answer. I replied, "I supposed, if you were to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, I would chose…Potions. That is, if Professor Slughorn retired by then."

He mused for a second. "I thought it might be that. I was caught between Herbology and Potions."

"Herbology! I can barely grow Muggle plants without using magic."

"That's true. But you can recognize plants particularly well. Herbology wasn't all about making them grow. But with your excellent flora skills, you would make an excellent potions mistress."

I gave him a warm smile. He was truly complimenting me, and it felt good. "Thank you, my lord."

He continued, "But you wouldn't want to teach in the dungeons would you? With my influence, I bet I could get you anything you wanted."

Suddenly, a dark cloud came over his mind's eye, and his eyes shined ruby red.

"If Dumbledore is still there, my visit to Hogwarts will end very differently than I want." Then his eyes reverted back to its normal grayish appearance. His eyes, once staring into an unwelcomeing future, turned back to mine. Tom said, "With Dumbledore, we will have to be patient. It might be decades before I can do anything substantial." Decades with Tom. That didn't sound bad at all.

I kept staring at Tom's normal eye color, silently questioning why on earth it changed color. My blue eyes definitely didn't change colors like that. I wish they did; I wouldn't look so plain otherwise. "What?" Tom asked, after I gawked too long.

"Nothing… it's just that…why do your eyes turn red when you're mad?"

He looked at me like I was joking, and it wasn't very funny. "My eyes turn red? What on earth are you talking about Eva?"

I stared incredulously back. He didn't know, did he? "Of course, my lord! They always have, ever since I met you."

Realizing I was serious, he relaxed slightly. He thought about what I had told him and asked, "Are you sure? Even when we were in Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I'm positive. I could see it; we all could, behind your mask at the meetings." After letting what I said sink in, he let out a high-pitched laugh that made me jump.

"I must have been very frightening then." His face was in a mischievous smile that I adored.

I let myself laugh a bit. Remembering how terribly frightening he was cause my laugh to mingle with a note of terror. "Yes, you still are."

He seemed pleased. "Good… wait, did I do it before I took you to the Chamber?"

I let myself think over the question before I answered. I had seen him angry once at one of the second, secret meetings. I didn't recall his eyes turning red. I was sure I would have remembered because it probably would have scared me enough to stay away from him. Tom saw how concentrated I was and assumed the answer before I said it. "No, you didn't."

Tom smiled, as if he knew a secret that I didn't and wanted to keep it that way. "Then it makes sense why I have red eyes. It's all the better to scare you with, my dear." I let out a laugh at his inside joke. None of our classmates would understand the Muggle story of Red Riding Hood.

A silence hovered over us, but I didn't want our conversation to end. Tom was in such a good mood, and he was bringing up the past, so I wanted to ask him a question that had been buzzing around in my mind for a while. He went back to reading his book as I hesitantly spoke. "My lord? I was wondering. Were you serious about taking me with you if you worked at the Ministry?"

Tom caught my eyes with curious stare. "You are my most trusted servant. Who else would I have infiltrate the Ministry? Lestrange? The Selwyn brothers? Macnair? Rookwood? None of them could work magic like you can. Eva, you need to have more confidence in yourself. You are a smart witch."

I was so utterly confused by how he was acting, I quickly stood up to get myself a drink of water from the water jug on the counter. My temperature was getting hotter, and I was becoming uncomfortable. The whole time I had been here in Albania, he seeminlgy wanted me to be quiet, obedient, and hidden. Now, all of a sudden, he wanted me to jump off the walls, proclaiming how amazing I am. Was there no middle for this man?

I grabbed a cup, poured some cold water, and drank hurriedly. Thankfully, it did feel as if I became cooler. I took a deep breath and braced myself while I turned back to Tom. He might have read my thoughts.

Tom moved to the edge of the chair, with his body leaning close to where I stood. An arm was lounging on the back of the chair, and he grinned as he spoke. "I never said 'be bold.' I said, 'be smart.' You haven't been able to differentiate between the two. When others see us, they don't see you as my trusted servant. They see you as a helpless girl who follows me around and does my bidding. Although that looks excellent for me, it doesn't look good for you at all."

I glared angrily back at him, understanding that he was trying to be polite - as polite as Tom could be. Yet I couldn't understand why he was bringing this up tonight. He chuckled a little and climbed out of his chair. I was still slouching as I leaned against the countertop with the empty cup in my hands. He stood close to me, like last night, but the emotion in the air was very different.

Tom bent his head down, inches away from my face, like when he was trying to make a point. "I know what you are thinking, Eva. 'Why does Tom want me to stand out all of a sudden?'" he had repeated in a pitched voice to mimic my own. Then he returned to his normal, rich voice. "I want you to be yourself, not this shriveled form, an echo of what I know you are."

I couldn't stop my heart from racing around. I felt like it was stuck in my throat. I suddenly wanted to kiss him, and I didn't care if he knew it or not. I couldn't deny my attraction to him, and I didn't want to. For the rest of my life, for the rest of time, all I wanted was to lie in the arms of the man in front of me. I didn't care if it was love or lust – I just wanted Tom. He watched me as I closed my eyes and lifted my lips towards his. I never heard him move or shift away. I could feel his breath on my face – we were so close.

Without warning, a knock on the front door tore us apart at speeds comparable to light. Tom strode towards the door, while I was trying to unwrinkled my dress, as if the wrinkles denoted I had done something inappropriate. I took a couple of steps towards the door as Tom swung it open to see the intruder. The moonlight allowed me to make out a pale, young woman standing in the doorway. Tom seemed surprised at her entrance, yet very excited as well as if he recognized her.

"Please, come in," Tom beckoned, and the woman obliged. Tom closed the door behind her, and under the candlelight I could see her better. Her hair was blond, but it was unwashed and oily. Her eyes were dark, with little light in them, like they were hollowed out. She could have been beautiful if it wasn't for her deathly face and her lack of hygiene. The young woman was dressed in clothes someone from the previous century would have worn. The pattern looked to be of Scottish heritage. It had been beautifully well-preserved, a striking contrast to her appearance.

Her face seemed to tickle my brain. Yet I couldn't put a name to her. We definitely didn't attend Hogwarts together. It wasn't until she gave Tom a courteous smile did I realize exactly who and what she was. Her teeth were stained a light brown color. To Muggles or uneducated wizards, they would assume she was a homeless or touched woman. They would overlook her incredible long incisor teeth, which gave away her kind. The vampires had come back and gave Tom another chance.

Suddenly, I remembered that she had been the wife of Tympanios with the dead lover. The woman eyed me over as if she knew what I was thinking, then looked at Tom and opened out her hands in a friendly gesture. In a light Scottish accent she said, "My lord invites you to his home to reconsider your offer."

"Lord Tympanios will see me?" Tom asked, more excitedly than I expected. I had to purse my lips to stop myself from slipping a smile. Since I rarely saw Tom this excited, it was almost hilarious. The other woman thought it was amusing as well.

"Yes, my lord will see you, but please refrain from using his name. It is forbidden. I am to take Tom Marvolo Riddle –"

"Lord Voldemort, if you please," Tom interrupted.

The vampire made a face showing she wasn't pleased with the unasked revision of her narrative. She cleared her throat and started again. "Lord Voldemort and Eva Smith to my lord at once. Please hold onto my hands." I eyed Tom, seeing if it was alright to hold a vampire's hand without any garlic in or around me. Her hand was whiter than her face, if that was possible. The veins and tendons were eerily popping out of her flesh deprived wrist. Comparing her to my mind's eye of Lord Tympanios, she looked how I imagined a vampire to be: thin and pale; deadly yet beautiful. Once I saw Tom grab her hand, I gently placed my palm into her empty one. Once our skin touched, we suddenly became transported to Tympanios' castle.

I never would have guessed vampires could Apparate. I assumed they turned into bats or something. But that would take years of training as an Animagus I suppose. Perhaps she was some sort of portkey. That would be odd, but not impossible. Yet, I swear I remember Tom or the vampire lord saying something about vampires being wizards and witches. This vampire woman could be, or could have been, a witch. That would definitely allow her to Apparate. Then my mind finally adjusted to where I was.

She had taken us to library of the castle. However, I could have easily fit the entire cabin into this one room and still have space for more. I began wandering slowly around the room taking in our new location. There were three full length windows, stretching from the high ceilings to the low, rich carpet. Looking out the windows, I absorbed in the moonlit scenery. We were high up on a forested mountainside, with the rest of the castle below us. I made out a river snaking below. We were far away from our home in Albania.

I turned back to the rest of the room. The ceilings were so high up that it seemed unending. The floor was draped with ten or more colorful and expensive-looking rugs. A beautiful, solid wood desk sat in the middle of the room while candles floating high in the air, all about the large library. The shelves of the bookcases lining the walls were overflowing with books, from very small to very thick. There were book collections ranging from some that were falling apart to some that look that they had never been touched. There was an old piano in one of the corners near where we Apparated. A man-sized globe was opposite of the piano. Next to the globe was a floating ladder for the too-high-to-reach books. The ladder was moving along the wall towards us.

Tom was farther away from me than I liked. He walked towards the ladder, raising his head up as if to stare at the ceiling. The woman who escorted us before exited the large wooden doors, the only entrance or exit, behind me. I watched as her boney fingers pulled the door shut, and I heard the soft thump of the door connecting with its frame. A warm, accented voice washed through my ears. "I see you have made it. I hope Catherine treated you well – no bites I hope." He laughed at his comment.

I turned towards where the laughter was. Tom was no longer staring at the ceiling, but instead looking at an empty desk. Before my eyes, I saw Lord Tympanios appear in the chair at the desk as the moonlight from the windows shone over him. His face was flushed with color, and his dark eyes were much calmer than when I had seen him last. His laughter diminished, and his thick eyebrows were raised, waiting for us to answer him. I glanced at Tom. He was giving a small bow, and I followed the suite, giving the vampire lord a curtsy.

"Please, sit my friends," he invited us. Chairs appeared from nowhere and tripped us into them. The vampire guided the chairs towards the desk. I was always surprised by how young he looked, as if he was not much older than Tom and I. But I knew that wasn't true. His face flushed with blood, not his own of course. He must have bleached his teeth between now and the last time we met, since they were as white as the moon.

"You are probably wondering why I have brought you here, Voldemort. After considering your offer, I feel that you have not lied in what you promised me. I am very prideful, but in the end I want the best for my coven. Lately, we have agreed that to survive we need to seek a new direction. Out of Europe, I have the largest amount of vampires to take care of. Most of our kind travel alone or, if they have to, in packs of three. I have to feed fourteen vampires, not including myself, and we all live in this castle you are now in. I am afraid that this land has gone to waste, since our appetites have grown too large. In essence, this means," he swallowed uncomfortably, "I would like go over your offer, once more."

Both Tom and I were slightly taken aback by the excessive humbleness his voice carried. It was almost as if we were talking to a different person, and not the temperamental Lord Tympanios. My lord, however, never skipped a beat and jumped quickly into the conversation. "I am very honored by your generous reconsideration. I want to explain that I will try to keep our negotiations quick and to the point. My plan is to -"

Tympanios held up a hand, pausing Tom. "You have told me of your grand plan many times. We don't get many visitors here, especially human ones. And the humans that come do not leave. So I do not want our negotiations to be quick or to the point. We have all the time in the world. Tonight, I invite you and the mistress," he winked at me, "for dinner."

Dinner with vampires never sounds like a good plan. But Tom's face looked relatively calm, almost interested. After last time's attack, being in their castle without any sort of ward and knowing that their blood supply is dwindling made me on edge. Having dinner with them did not sound extremely safe in my mind. Tympanios must have seen the slight fear from my bulging eyes, since he started to laugh. "We won't bite you. I can promise you that. I want to keep Lord Voldemort happy. I doubt he would be pleased if we drained your body of all its blood, or if I made you my fourth wife." The vampire turned to see Tom's expression, but it was blank. Of course it would be blank. As if Tom would show any type of caring emotion towards me.

Tympanios stood up from his chair, and we did likewise. As we stood, I recalled how he was shorter than me, which thankfully made him less intimidating, though not by much. I heard the door swish open. I twisted my neck around to see the newcomer. It was another woman vampire with long brown hair. Her heavy lidded eyes and unique face led my mind to her name: Mirjam. Her skin was much darker than when I last saw her. When the candle light passed by her face I saw that she was smiling. It was a surprisingly warm smile. If didn't know better, I would not have believed that this was a den of vampires. They seemed so calm and welcoming.

"Eva," Tympanios started, "Mirjam would like to give you a tour of the castle in apology for our last meeting." I was a bit startled by how the vampire casually threw around my name. Mirjam kept smiling and tilted her head, politely waiting for me to follow her. I stood up, standing much taller than her since she was Tympanios' height. I followed her, somewhat nervously since I would be leaving Tom's protection, out of the library into the hallway. The last thing I heard from the room before Mirjam closed the door was: "Parseltongue, let us have a chat."

The halls were decorated with interesting paintings, ranging from jousting knights, who would take turns winning, to Muggle paintings of water lilies. The walls were dressed in fine gold wallpaper, and the floors were marble covered with one long, unending red and gold rug. It struck me that Tympanios somehow had come across a huge amount of wealth. My mind was so absorbed in the décor of the hallway. I didn't realize that Mirjam and I were walking in silence.

She spoke first. Mirjam had the same accent as her husband. "I want to begin by apologizing for acting the way I did at our last meeting."

I turned towards her, with my eyebrows furrowed. "There is nothing for you to apologize. He shouldn't have slapped you. You didn't do anything wrong."

The vampire turned her dark eyes up towards my face and gracefully placed a piece of long hair behind her ear. "You don't understand. I hadn't fed in over a month when you met me. I was starving, and your garlic wasn't very strong. I almost killed you. Arnold saved you."

I immediately felt conflicted. The vampire who almost had me killed decided to save me, not even an hour later, from being devoured by his own wife? Suddenly, a rush of relief flooded through me, knowing that Mirjam could not read minds like Tom did. She did not have to know that I thought her reasoning was a bit flawed. It was comforting to finally have my privacy and to think whatever I wanted. I asked sheepishly, "Then, you're not hungry now…right?"

"Of course not. I'm not pale am I?" She smiled brightly up to me again. That was it! If the vampires were pale then they were thirsty. If they were tan, their bodies were filled with blood, and they were satiated. What a strange field marker. I faintly smiled back.

"I thought I was just a familiar face. I didn't realize you were on the edge of biting me."

She nodded, "I did recognize your face, and I now know who it was. I don't think it was an accident we met." Her eyes glimmered, as if there was some secret she desperately wanted to tell me, but was unsure how I would react.

"How so?" I continued, trying to be as inviting as possible. Mirjam was almost a blessing in disguise. After the Macnairs' wedding, I had been wishing for more female companionship. Although Mirjam was technically not human, she was a very interesting companion. The vampire smiled up at me, as if I had said the magical password.

"There is a story I want to tell you. Vampires love telling stories, since we know so many. Most of all, we love spinning lies about ourselves. However, what I am going to tell you is a true story. Are you ready?"

I nodded excitedly. I had no idea what she was going to tell me, but anything other than world domination and my pathetic love life was the most interesting subject on the planet.


	17. September 14, 1723

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mirijam tells her story

Serbia  
(1723-1725)

September 14, 1723

Who you know as Lord of the Vampires of Eastern Europe, Tympanios, I knew as Arnold Paole. He was born in the year of our Holy Father seventeen hundred. He was born in Kosovo to a Hungarian soldier and his Serbian wife. He inherited his mother's dark features but his father's light skin. Arnold ran away from home when he was very young, but he never told me why. Soon after, he enlisted to fight for the Ottoman Empire, but the homeland he was fighting for ceded to the Habsburg Monarchy within a few years. Later, the Habsburgs lured many Serbs into that territory to work as a military police in exchange for land. But Arnolds homeland belonged mostly to nomad families who were raising cattle and trying to survive after decades of war.

During that time, Arnold fought and killed many men. He learned to be a good soldier and commander. Because of his experience, he quickly rose in rank. Arnold was one of the higher ranked soldiers during a key battle where the Hapsburgs took over our land from the Ottomans.

I, on the other hand, grew up on a modest farm, growing hay to feed the cattle. We lived thirty miles away from Valjevo in Serbia. Whether our rulers were the Turks or the Austrians, it made no difference to our farm. We continued and survived.

I was the eldest of five children, three boys and two girls. The boys worked out in the fields with me and my father, while my weak sister had to stay inside the house. My mother died giving birth to her.

I was harvesting the fields the day Arnold and I met. The day was hot and balmy. My working clothes were weighing down on my thin body. Down the road, I saw a group of men paroling through. Their clothes were ragged and needed a good cleaning. It was just one troop having only ten men with a handsome dark-haired young man as their leading commander. I watched the men pass as I cut down the grass with a scythe. My brothers saw them as well and excitedly dropped the grass into the piles to dry and ran over to investigate the men. We had not met any military police before that time.

Although my father hired other workers for other parts of our fields, I still needed the boys' help. The day was going to be long enough, especially since my father was in Valjevo taking my sister to a doctor. As I walked up to the men to snatch the boys back, I overheard the thrilled voices of my three little brothers.

"How many men have you killed?"

"Do you have guns?"

"Can I hold your sword?"

The boys had bombarded the men with enough questions to make them want to cut their own ears off. Most of the soldiers were young, but one or two could have been my father's age. Their commander was amused by my brothers, while I wasn't. "Bojan, Dejan, Ilija, stop bothering the men. They are busy and so are we. Get back to work before I box your ears." They quickly sprinted back into the field after my promise of pain. After seventeen years of living a working life, there was no time for pleasure during the harvest.

I wasn't sure if they were Hungarian or recruited from the Ottoman Empire, so I spoke in German, the common language (of which I knew very little). "I apologize for my brothers. I must go back to my fields."

While I turned back to my work full of sweat and fatigue, one of the men spoke up in Serbian. "We are on our way to Kragujevac."

I turned around and saw the commander eagerly smiling at me, as if he had asked me for my hand in marriage. He had a slight Hungarian accent in his Serbian, but I thought it sounded charming. He was chiseled and rugged, like a true soldier. I saw that he and his men looked very hungry and thirsty. Their uniforms, which were supposed to be bright red and blue, were the color of mud and faded blood. His smile had not faded the whole time I was examining his men. Kragujevac was more than a day trip from our farm if you started before dawn. Yet, they were military men and have dealt with long journeys before. I had a lot of work to do, and I doubted that my father would enjoy taking care of a regime. Still, the commander seemed to be wanting to rest, and he was very earnest in his appearance. I fought with myself, and then came to a decision.

"It would be my…honor to have you and your men spend the night in my humble home," I answered in Serbian.

As if on cue, the commander replied, "Oh no! We don't want to be a burden, do we men?"

They all shook their heads, muttering words of protest, all a show. I was becoming agitated by this required tip toeing invitation for something that I didn't even want. This soldier was messing with my head, and I didn't have time for it. "Look – you can come in, get fed, cleaned, and treated with hospitality, or keep going down the woods and enjoy the bandits. I don't have time for this conversation."

The troops looked to their commander, jeering him and wanting to see if he was going to take it. The commander simply laughed. "Calm down little lady."

He pulled out my last straw. "You're just as short, little man."

That time, I hit a nerve. His men looked short of laughter and tried their hardest to keep it in. He frowned, his thick eyebrows almost covering his dark brown eyes. He was good looking; there was no confusion about that. But he was not about to play with me.

I turned around, letting him wallow in his anger. I had almost reached the scythe when a calloused hand grabbed my own. It was the commander. My eldest brother, Bojan the third, was down the row and secretly watched me talk to him. "Yes," he told me, as if he regretted hinting to stay in the first place, "we would like to spend the night."

At home, the commander formally introduced himself as Arnold Paole. The rest of his troop introduced themselves as well. My brothers were fully entertained by their stories and their weapons. Surprisingly, my father also enjoyed them. He arrived just as the sun was setting. My sister was upstairs, sleeping with a light fever. She did not tolerate the journey well. I did not have much time to spend with the soldiers, since I was the one who had to do their laundry, cook their food, and check on my sister, despite the objections my father made. "Miri, we live alone, far from the city. Men don't grow on trees. There are nice boys out there, and all you want to do is work. Relax, your brothers and I will take care of it."

"No Papa. They are arrogant, and I want to take care of my family."

My father sighed, his face wrinkled by the sun and time. His hair was graying, although he was barely forty. "You work too hard Mirijam. For my sake, spend some time with them. They are nice. Who knows? You may fall for one."

I politely followed my father's orders, though I was dying on the inside. Their adventures sounded preposterous, but I was courteous and acted as if it was all truth. The men were considerably nice and enjoyed the hospitality, yet they were still dirty, smelly men. Surprisingly, Arnold did not talk at all. He let the others go off on different subjects, amusing my brothers and myself. A few times, I caught Arnold staring at me. Every time we locked eyes, I tried not to blush. It was so strange having a man pay so much attention to me. Every morning my father would tell me how beautiful I was, yet I never believed him. I was a farming girl, hardy and tanned. Yet, God created me with a small frame and a pretty face. Perhaps He knew I wasn't meant to be a farmer's daughter.

That night, after dinner, Arnold helped me with the dishes. I was surprised by his offer, to say the least, but I accepted it. We worked in silence until he spoke up. "Do you like living on the farm?" His Hungarian accent made me smile to myself.

"It's hard work," I replied, staring at the wet dish in my hand, "But I enjoy taking care of my family."

"Do you ever want to have your own family?"

I turned to look at him, surprised by his question. It was quite forward, coming from a man who politely ran me in circles this afternoon. "Yes, I do. But right now my father and my brothers need me. My sister especially needs me."

Arnold seemed interested. "You have a sister?"

"Yes, her name is Jovana. She is upstairs, sleeping probably. She is a very sickly child."

"May I visit her?" I frowned, suspicious of him. No one ever wanted to visit Jovana. Still, he had been very kind this whole day. It might do her good to have someone visit her.

"You...may. Let us finish here, and then I will take you to her room."

Once we were in the hallway outside of her room, I saw from under the door she had lit herself a lamp. I whispered to Arnold, "I think she will be awake." I knocked lightly on the door, "Vanny? It's me – Miri. Someone wants to visit you." She let out a muffled reply, and I opened the door.

I watched him as he witnessed my sister. He acted surprised for the first second then smiled kindly to her. Jovana beamed back as always.

"Vanny, I saw that you lit the lamp. That's excellent. But next time, don't strain yourself too much." I sat on her bed, where she was sitting up, with a pillow propped behind her. My father allowed her to have the best bed, and none of us argued.

Arnold stood next to her and remarked, "You are a very pretty girl."

Vanny giggled, "Thank you!" I smiled at my sister and patted the blanket above her mangled legs. I had grown used to carrying my seven year old sister around, not afraid to touch her twisted legs like my brothers were. When Jovana was two or three years old she came down with a horrible disease that destroyed her leg bones, rendering her unable to ever walk. We did not have enough money to pay for the expensive procedures that the doctors had suggested. Despite all she has been through, her cheery personality always brightened my pessimistic personality. "Are you Miri's new suitor?"

"Jovana!"

Arnold merely laughed, while I gave her a glare. "No, he is just a friend. The boys saw soldiers walking down the road this afternoon, and I invited them to spend the night."

"Oh, so that what all the noise was."

"Oh no! Were we loud? I hope I didn't keep you from your sleep. I'm sorry."

Jovana was sweet as always. "It's fine. It sounded like everyone was having fun."

I looked at Arnold, who was watching Vanny. "Yes, we did have fun," I replied.

The soldier looked at me, then back to my sister. He asked her, "Would you mind if I looked at your legs?"

Jovana was surprised, and turned her eyes to me, as if I had the answer. I silently nodded it would be alright. She in turn told Arnold timidly, "Yes, you can."

I stood up and watched as Arnold took the blankets off. He gently massaged her thin, brittle legs. Then, he pulled a carved stick out of his trousers and pointed it at her legs. I thought it was a joke, but at the same time, I was going to give anything a try. I swore I heard him whisper quietly, but I couldn't comprehend what it was. After he had finished rubbing both legs down and put away the stick in his hand, he asked Jovana, "Do they feel better?"

My little sister glowed with a smile I hadn't seen in a while. "Yes! They don't hurt at all! Miri! My legs don't hurt." I gasped and put my hand over my mouth. I stared at Arnold, who looked mildly please. Then I looked back to the shining face of my sister, who didn't feel the constant pain of her twisted legs and never would from then on.

Tears were still hanging in my eyes by the time Arnold and I stepped outside into the hall to let Jovana go to sleep. "I don't know what you did, but thank you so much," I whispered to Arnold. I even wrapped my arms around his neck and let some tears fall into his dirty shirt he refused to let me wash. It smelled like the outdoors and surprisingly didn't stink. I let go of my embrace. I saw his eyes soften. He seemed a little sad. "What's wrong?" I whispered.

"I couldn't fix her legs."

I frowned, a little confused. "Even the doctors couldn't stop her pain as quickly and as well as you did. But rather than be proud, you instead complain you didn't fix them? I thought you were a soldier, not a healer."

Our bodies were close together, closer than I had ever been with a man. He grabbed one of my arms and let his hand slide until he held mine. My heart was pounding, and I was breathing heavily. Had I truly gone soft with a man I barely knew? I just met him that afternoon, yet I felt my life would never be the same without him. In the dark, he whispered in my ear, "I am many things. But I'm tired of being a soldier. I want to be a farmer, like your father. I want to live out here, with you."

I barely caught the last two words. I searched his face in the dim light, checking any signs of lying as if this was some charade. He looked completely sincere. I gave my reply in the form of a loving kiss.

Months later, he did resign from his post, but the government refused to give him the land he was promised.

Days later, I was going out to the barn to find a saddle for my father to use to go to Valjevo when I saw Arnold walking alone down the dusty road. I raced over to him and jumped into his arms. He spun me around and kissed me. We were married a month later. It was all too perfect.

August 2, 1725

It was two years later when the dream ended, in the year of our Holy Father seventeen hundred twenty-five. But it had been a glorious two years, and I think about them often.

The day it all came crashing to an end was when two visitors showed up to the house in the early afternoon. I was tending the cows out in the barn at the time. There were no sounds of carriages or any other form of transportation, so it surprised me a bit, seeing the two strangers waiting by the front door. I was far away, but I could tell they came from high breeding. It was a couple: one man and one woman. As I walked towards them, I glanced down the road, looking for any sigh of carriage or horse. There was none. Surely, these people hadn't traveled here by foot.

I wasn't kind when I called out a greeting in German, since I was not accustomed to having strangers on my land, and they were able to sense it. The two didn't answer me back. I was alone today: Arnold, my father, and my brothers had taken the summer crop to the city for the markets. It was only me and Jovana.

The man held himself up high, almost like he was disgusted to even be in a place such as this. I felt contempt for him immediately. His eyes were dark, with even darker hair. The man's face was chiseled, but not handsome: not like Arnold. His clothes were made out of rich, dark green fabrics, not suited for the weather of Serbia. Yet the designs of his wear were odd – like robes, something out of a fairy tale. I glanced over to his companion, which he seemed to have no eyes for. She was beautiful, making myself and everything around fill with lackluster. Her clothes were strange as well, made out of a lighter fabric, colored maroon. Her golden hair was clean and long, ending near her waist. Her face was full and ruddy. Her blue gaze eyed her surroundings, not with spite as her friend was but with curiosity and…something else. Humor? I hadn't heard a word out of these newcomers' mouths and already I was irritated.

"Hello," I said again. "What do you want?" I didn't bother myself with formalities, though they seemed to have wanted it. The man eyed me, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He spoke to me, "Where is Arnold Paole." His German was not very good, but neither was mine.

"He is not here. Who are you?"

The man frowned and asked in a rude tone, "Does he live here?"

I frowned back, not knowing how to properly explain. "Yes, he lives here. Tonight he will come to the house."

With frustration in his voice, he spoke to his companion. I couldn't recognize his language at all: it was not Serbian, not Hungarian, not Turkish, but something like German – probably from the West. I felt my face get hot as their stares turned from disdain for my home to evil pleasure in realizing I was ignorant of their language. I wasn't going to let these two strangers to get the best of me. Though I wanted desperately to kick them off my land and spit curses at them, I had to think about what Arnold would want.

To my father's pleasure, Arnold had taught me to be a proper lady during our two years of marriage. He enjoyed correcting my social faux pas, all the while reminding me of our first encounter. He constantly told me, "If you didn't follow the proper rules of behavior, you never would have met me." I can still imagine him grinning and winking at me.

Wordlessly, since I didn't want to bother with my poor German, I walked between the two towards my door. I opened it and held out my hand – the universal code saying "Come in."

They traded glances, and the woman followed the man in. As they passed me, the gorgeous woman gave me a knowing smile, as if I was some child that was lucky enough to receive kindness from her. It took a lot of self-control to stop from frowning. My home was not spectacular, obviously not their taste from the look of their reactions. I threw my arms out towards the seating area, trying to instill as much kindness as possible. The man grew disgusted and turned to see what his partner's reaction would be. She laughed at him, but did not take my offer to sit either. They spoke quickly and lightly in the foreign language.

I smiled the sweet smiles of my sister and told them in Serbian, "If you don't want to be here, the door is open. I would suggest you use it." My voice was so polite and cheerful, it was no wonder the two looked at me as if I offered to be their servant. Saying the words to their faces did make me feel calmer, though I felt lost at what to do with them. There was no option of leaving them here alone with my sister, but I had much to do that day. These strangers put a definite splinter in my side. I was praying for Arnold and Papa to show up as soon as possible when I heard the rickety wagon shuffling down the road.

I was sitting on my grandmother's rocking chair with my hands folded patiently in my lap and staring at the two unwelcome visitors when Arnold burst through the door. "Mirijam?" He looked towards me and grinned widely. "We did so well! More than three fourths of our produce sold. Your father is ecstatic." As he was talking, he rushed over to me, pulled me off the chair and swirled me around, as was his normal routine. Somehow, Arnold had ignored my hesitant and silent demeanor. He stopped mid swing, finally noticing the two strangers.

"Marcius?" Arnold whispered.

Marcius, or whoever he was, suddenly lit up and greeted Arnold. Instead of normal words of a different language, the man started to spit and hiss. I thought he was choking or at least trying to spit something out of his mouth. Despite the hissing noises, his face looked as if he was relaying some sort of joke to Arnold, cruelly laughing in between his "words." I looked to see his partner's reaction. The blond calmly stared back at me, as if Marcius jokes were not funny at all.

I couldn't help but stare incredulously. It was not when Marcius finished his "conversation" with a long low hiss, but when Arnold replied to him in the same strange talk. As I watched my husband hiss and spit like a snake, I became frightened. It was apparent I knew very little about him and his past.

The two "talked" for a very long time, until my father whistled through the door. All hissing ceased. Papa threw a glance at me; then stared at Arnold, waiting for an introduction. As I had told my husband before we were married, my life was with my current family. I couldn't bear the fact to leave them, and Arnold and I didn't have enough money to live on our own. In the end, we stayed under my father's house and his rule. With that standard, Papa expected everything that transpired in and around the house to be relayed to him.

"Bojan, this is the son of the sister of my father – Marcius Gaunt." He paused, confused by how to introduce the woman. Marcius's companion smiled at Arnold, without letting it reach her eyes. "And the lady is Millicent Hunter. They are here visiting me." Peering into Arnold's eyes, I knew there was something more about them he was keeping secret. My father, however, took every word Arnold said as the full and complete truth.

"Welcome to my home," Papa said, in German that was better than mine. He tried to be polite, but he could sense the tension in the air. These visitors seemed like wanted to be here as much as we wanted them. It made the whole ordeal very queer.

The rest of the night was just as awkward as our introduction, even more so since we used up most of what German we knew within the first five minutes. Arnold and Marcius constantly spoke in their own language, completely abandoning all other forms of talk. I could tell Papa was slightly disturbed by their form of communication, but he didn't let it bother him much afterwards.

Arnold never seemed pleased with what Marcius said, and Marcius would act as if he was correcting Arnold's every word. Millicent couldn't speak the strange language either, so we simply glanced at each other the entire dinner. My father sent the boys to eat outside, and I excused myself half way through to bring dinner to my sister.

Every week since Arnold began to live with us, he made a special medicine for my sister. Slowly, she had been able to gain muscle in her legs. The bones seemed less twisted than before as well. Arnold had become both Jovana's and my own angel sent from heaven. Before I was able to sit down on her bed to give her dinner, she asked, "Are there new people in the house?"

I sighed and sat next to her. "Yes. They are relatives of Arnold, but we don't speak the same language. Only Arnold and his cousin are able to talk. It's extremely irritating. On top of that, I know he's lying to me about their visit." I was pouting when Vanny patted my shoulder. "I guess I should trust him, but I hate being left out of the loop."

Jovana laughed at me. I couldn't understand how she could be so calm about life, taking things in stride. Though we may appear alike, our outlooks were completely opposite. "He'll tell you Miri. Arnold is a good man. He loves you." I eyed her, succumbing to the truth of her words.

"Yes, I suppose so," I whispered.

Jovana moved quickly, allowing her healing legs to dangle off the bed. "There is no supposing. It is true!"

I laughed and gave her a quick hug. "You're sweet," I commented, then handed her the plate. I let myself muse over ideas for who exactly the new relatives were and their purpose in coming to see Arnold. Arnold had only told me about his mother and father. He said they were poor, but only because they wanted to be which was why he left. Perhaps Marcius was trying to collect money from Arnold. Or perhaps they are from the army and want him back. Arnold was an excellent soldier and deeply missed when he left. But why would a woman be sent for recruiting? They didn't even dress like soldiers. And why couldn't she speak the same language as Marcius and Arnold?

It seemed as if their dinner conversation did not reach a conclusion. Arnold's family was invited to spend the night, and they agreed. Later that night, as my husband and I lied in bed, he could sense all the confusion winding through my brain. A low rumble growled through his chest, the sound Arnold always made before telling me something that he would rather have me ignorant of. "Miri?" I rolled my body towards him in response. "Mirijam…those people, today, I don't know how long they will be here." I waited eagerly for his answer. I didn't want to interrupt him as he built up the courage to tell me the truth. "Marcius is my cousin, although I would rather have him be no one to me. His Hungarian mother moved to England and married a man named Gaunt. I heard about him through my own parents. He is…well trained in his craft. The woman with him, Millicent or Minnie as he calls her, is his mistress and also well trained. His own wife stays in England, watching after their children. They have come to…forewarn me." I saw his forehead crease, as if "forewarn" was not the proper translation.

I waited, hoping he would go on, but Arnold did not continue. He was lost in his own thoughts. More questions bubble up through my mouth that I couldn't control. "What language are you speaking to him? How did you learn it?"

I heard his head swivel to watch me in the dark. My eyes had adjusted, and I could tell he was racing to find an answer – a lie. "We were taught old Hungarian by our parents."

"It doesn't sound like Hungarian."

He answered brashly, "It's old. It doesn't need to sound like Hungarian." He sighed, "No matter the circumstances, I'm afraid we are going to have to entertain them for a few days."

We were both quiet. I waited to hear the chirping of nocturnal insects but none came. The cows were hushed in their brays as well. Of course, I took no notice. My mind was talking loud enough to block out the silence. "Are they rich? Is that why they don't like me? I can tell, you don't need to lie to me."

Arnold had a bit of dark humor in his voice as he corrected me. "No, no that's not it at all. Both Marcius and Minnie have the same…talents and family background. I do as well, but I was not trained like they were. My parents couldn't afford to send me to school." Surprisingly, Arnold seemed slightly bitter; like he had found something he was jealous of Marcius. "The two of them look down anyone who does not have our talents, like your family. They are angry with me for marrying you."

I clenched my hands making fists. How dare they look down on Arnold for something as silly as talents! "That's horrible."

Arnold stretched his arms around my waist and pulled me close to his own body. I wrapped my arms around his neck as best I could while he moved his hands to cup my face. "I never regret loving you Mirijam. I could care more what a slug thinks over Marcius's ideas. He and Minnie can make as many pureblood babies as they want."

Although I enjoyed the closeness of our bodies, I was lost by his last sentence. Despite his explanation, I had a tingling sense that I was missing the bigger picture. "What?"

His eyes looked edgy, realizing he said too much. "It's nothing. My mouth slipped. I haven't used old Hungarian in a while; it wants to slip back."

I pulled his hands off my face. "Arnold! It's not nothing. Why don't they like me, truthfully?"

He sighed again, realizing he was digging his own grave. "It is like I said, Miri. Only, a bit more complicated. Let it go – you would never believe me if I told you."

"Tell me anyways."

"No. Go to bed," he growled. I was not in the mood to sleep, now that my curiosity was sparked once again. What on earth could he be keeping from me? What talents did he, Marcius, and Minnie share? The only talents I could tell that Arnold had were fighting and healing. Millicent could not have been a soldier, and I would definitely need to pray for the people Marcius healed. And the word "pureblood" – what could that have meant? If Marcius was half Hungarian and half English, how was he pure? My mind was running in circles, and my questions were not going to remain unanswered.

"Tell me Arnold. It may have something to do with the forewarning. And what did they forewarn you about anyways?"

"No, it doesn't. I'm not going to tell you Miri. You don't need to concern yourself with their nonsense. Drop it and go to sleep."

I turned over and huffed. "I'm not going asleep until I find the truth." The bed rocked and I rolled back to see what Arnold was doing. He stood up, his body tense and his eyes filled with anger.

"Odjebi Mirijam! I'm leaving. I'm going to sleep in the barn. I suggest you go to sleep and never ask these questions again."

As he stormed out of my room and slammed the door, I felt my chest quiver. I didn't understand why he was so upset with me. And I didn't like the way he cursed at me. He knew how bullheaded I was. Normally, he laughed off my stubbornness. There was definitely something he was hiding. However, I wasn't going to cry over this drivel.

I wrapped my arms around my body feeling a shiver go down my spine. It was August - it shouldn't have been this cold. Yet it was, and I suddenly felt a chill of fear. I wanted Arnold back. I regretted being forceful over him. I would get the answer out of him eventually, but for now I rather would have had his warm protecting body than the empty void that was next to me. I slinked out of bed, timidly walking towards the bedroom door, hoping he hadn't gone too far to the barn.

It was then I heard the scream. It was one of horror that made me emit a yelp of my own. Trembling, I realized it was a man's voice. I still held the door open, but too afraid to take any steps closer. Then, there was silence. Something whistled past me in the hallway. I froze for half a minute, and then I couldn't stand the terror any more. I burst outside of the house, realizing whatever caused the scream was now inside. My chest felt like it would burst as I looked around the barn in the dark. There was nothing. No bodies, no blood, nothing to be afraid of. But where was Arnold?

The barn doors were still closed as I ran over to pull them open. The moon was not full tonight – only the star light was able to light up the entrance. The hay bundles were in its proper corners. The cows were asleep, making no noise. A fear still clung to me. I tiptoed around the dirt floor, trying to not make any noise as to wake the cows. There was no sight of Arnold anywhere. What little calm I had evaporated quickly. I checked on the cow stalls before I left the building – to be on the safe side.

The cows were not asleep, as I had so foolishly assumed. Marta, the cow I had milked just this morning, was lying on the floor in an uncomfortable position for any live cow. There was no sign of injury, yet her eyes were glazed. She was dead. Something or someone had killed her. And that something had struck a human earlier.

I ran back inside the house, against my mental wishes. Something was wrong with the coincident of the visitors. I burst my brothers' room where Marcius and Millicent were staying only to find it empty. My nerves were on the edge. I had to go and check on my family. Tears were blocking my vision as I ran up the stairs. Something horrible was going on, and I had no power to control it.

My father's room was the closest. My three brothers were sleeping peacefully on the floor as my father lied in his bed. I breathed a sigh of relief. I watched them for a while, drifting in sleep, until I noticed something wrong. They weren't breathing.

My knees fell to the floor. I shook Ilija – the nearest to me. "Ilija. Brother! Wake up!" My eyes were overflowing. I couldn't keep my voice from shaking. I tussled with every boy. None of them woke. I couldn't bear to touch my father. "Papa…Papa?" My voice was ragged. He didn't answer me. On his neck, I saw a huge bit mark – a human bite mark. It was thick enough that he should have been bleeding profusely. There wasn't a single drop of blood on him. As much as I wanted to scream, I couldn't. I realized there were worse things. I saw my sister's smiling face, joyful and giggling.

"No," I whispered.

I burst out of the room, racing as fast as I could push myself. Maybe I wasn't too late. I could save her. I could do something.

I saw the cold, white, lifeless body once I slammed open the door. Yet, I wasn't going to believe. "Vana…Jovana! Jovana wake up! You need to wake up. Something horrible has happened. I can't find Arnold. Everyone's dead…Jovana…wake up." I could barely push out the last of my words. I wrapped my arms around her small frame. She too had the bite marks. My mind was gone. I wanted to die too. I didn't hear anything over my wailing and my mind. Everything – I had everything I wanted. After one blink, one breath, it was gone. I didn't do anything; I didn't even try and save my family. They were dead, never to come back. I rocked Jovana back and forth, repeating only one word: why?

Then I heard footsteps behind me. I clutched her body, protecting her. "No! You can't hurt her!" I screamed, not able to see though my tear-clumped eyelashes. The black body stepped forward. The closer it came, the louder I shrieked. It almost held us in its grip when I screamed out, "Arnold! Where are you?"

The hands stopped, and my vision cleared. A deathly pale familiar face stared at me. He was no longer human, if he had ever been one. His eyes were deep dark pits of hell, smoldering with nothing but evil. Blood was dripping down his chin, and his stained teeth were glaring at me. I cried softer, wanting to die, yet wanting to live all the same. I blinked once again, clearing my vision. Nothing I could do would change what I saw before me.

It was Arnold. I stared at his neck, which had deep bruises and one clear bite mark. Unlike the others, his was stained with blood turned black. He was dead too, yet he stood before me, crouched – ready to attack me like he had the rest. I was never very superstitious; but that was before the moment I realized Arnold had become a vampire. The eyes of a monster suddenly reflected my own. Fear of what he had done and what he was doing took over his face. He breathed heavily, stepping away from me. I saw my husband for one glimpse, and I whispered, "Arnold?" My right hand went out to reach him, while my left clutched tighter on Jovana's body.

I had forgotten about my dead sister. My mind changed, and I was overcome with pain. Arnold had killed everyone I loved. He had ruined my life. I couldn't forgive him. "Get out!" I screamed at him, tears, once again, pouring out of my eyes. "Get out of here, you murderer!"

The vampire's eyes hardened, with shame, hate, and sadness. I saw Arnold again, if only briefly. His thick eyebrows clung together, changing his once handsome, healthy face into a true monster. Instead of coming to attack me, like I had envisioned, he disappeared in front of my eyes becoming invisible.

My breathing wouldn't calm. I still clung to my sister, tighter than I ever had when she was alive. My brain couldn't take the facts. This was a gigantic nightmare. I was still asleep in my bedroom with Arnold next to me. Nothing had happened. Everyone was alive, everyone was happy. The harder I tried to convince myself none of this was happening, the harder I would hold onto Jovana's lifeless body. I couldn't acknowledge the truth.

A click of heels came from the corner. I looked up, yet again. Assuming it was the vampire again, I tensed. "I said, 'get out!'" My quivering voice gave away my fear. The starlight peaked through the window, and I saw Minnie's dazzling face. She was not trembling in fear. She held herself very seriously, as if she was going to brace herself for bad news. The woman opened her mouth to speak then realized I wouldn't understand. She reached into her robe and pulled out a small crystal ball. It was glowing a blue light. I had seen enough paranormal for the night. This was becoming too much for my already deranged mind. Instead of handing it to me directly, she placed it on the wooden floor and rolled it softly to me. The globe hit my knee, and I watched it for a while. I half expected it to be a bomb. I half wanted it to be a bomb. Uncontrollably, I picked it up. There was an inscription on the inside. I looked closer and gasped when suddenly a woman voice spoke to me in Serbian.

"Before the time is ready, the blood drinkers must arise. A leader will die and be reborn by one bitten by the First. He and the other will work with a terrible power, set on controlling the world. The blood that once flowed through his veins will flow through the Dark One. The sacrifice of an equal's blood will bond an unrelenting reign of fear across all living beings, but if the blood is destroyed, the Dark One will lose. If the sacrifice lasts, only One will control the entire world."

Not understanding a word of what the woman in the glass globe had said, I felt even more lost than I had before. I looked back up to Minnie, yet she was gone. Instead, her shadow had been replaced by the vampire I never wanted to see again. His eyes were pained as I screamed at him. Within a blink of an eye he jumped me. I fainted in his arms, feeling his lips and teeth grazing my neck. My arms limply let go of my sister's corpse, and I died.


	18. October 18, 1948 cont.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Eva wrap up their visit with the vampires.

Albaina  
(1947-1957)

October 17, 1948, continued.

"After that, I was unable to control myself. Arnold somehow came to his senses soon after he changed me and later relayed to me that I attacked a nearby village. The next morning, the superstitious villagers saw the dead and assumed they were killed by a vampire. Once they had found my old home, they were sure of it. There were nightly watches, extreme protection, Holy water everywhere, and everyone ate garlic in their food. Of course, Valjevo wasn't too far away either, and Arnold and I weren't as careless as we were that first night. Suddenly, our story spread throughout Europe at an alarming rate. Many priests came to that village in search of an answer, and some even wrote journals about it. Arnold still teases that he became the most famous vampire in all Europe, hence his name 'Tympanios'. It is the Serbian word for vampire.

"After a year of following Arnold, I wasn't able to take the anger I felt every time I saw him." Mirjam' eyes faltered for a second, as if she was unsure whether she should go on. During the tour, she had decided to latch arms with me. Her presence reminded me a bit of Norma, but Mirjam was much calmer and more mature than Norma was, despite the fact that she appeared to be the same age as me. She caught my eyes and gave a half smile.

"I fought with him all the time, after what he had done to my life. He tried to explain to me, what had happened, but I wouldn't have any of it. Becoming a vampire makes you…evil. There is no other way to describe it. Suddenly, human lives don't matter. Being nice doesn't matter. I was in eternal purgatory with no heaven or hell to save me. All I felt was the pain that coursed through my veins and revenge I so craved. Arnold was already dead, but I would have given anything to kill him again.

"I stayed for that first year because I wasn't sure if I could do it alone. We had our worst fight ever, and during the battle I saw an opening. I could have ripped off his head, destroying him. Yet, I didn't. Despite all my pain and rage, I still loved him. Love is impossible to destroy, I had found out. So I left him. I wandered around Europe and India for more than a decade. I tried to destroy myself, but it became increasingly hard." Mirjam caught my shocked eyes. "The details are for another story. Eventually Arnold had found me." She smiled to herself. "We have stayed together ever since. I leave him occasionally for long periods of time, but I will forever come back to him. He is all I have left."

As her story ended, I felt overwhelmed. Everything she said was mind boggling. I didn't realize how painful every day could be for someone. She loves a man who killed her and her entire family. My feelings for Tom suddenly paled in comparison. I couldn't do what she is doing.

We walked in silence, only the clicking of our shoes making noise down the marble hallway, until she told me that our last stop was the formal dining room, where we would have dinner. During the tour, I had come to conclusion that their castle was easily one of the largest I had been in. It was almost as grandiose as Hogwarts, but none could compare to my old school. Throughout her story, Mirjam would stop and explain each room we stopped at and objects of art she found a particular fancy to. Occasionally she would slip off her story line, giving a bit of a history how she came about this vase or that bed. There were over twenty bedrooms I visited, four libraries, other than Tympanios' private one, and about seven different parlors each having their own distinct color theme. There was no kitchen, of course; only a butchering room, which Mirjam thankfully did not take me to. Like Hogwarts, it was easy to get lost.

Casually, less than half way through her story, she quickly explained that she and Arnold had learned English from Catherine. She didn't seem very thrilled talking about her husband's other wife, which I could completely understand. Still, it was very useful that Tom had found a large coven that spoke English. I supposed though, not needing to die, one could learn an unlimited amount of things.

I had become very lost in the castle as I focused more on Mirjam' story. After navigating through the major parts of her plot, I began to understand that she was born a Muggle, whereas Arnold was not. From what little information she said, I concluded that his parents did not have the money to send him to Durmstrang, which would have been the closest school. Hearing that he was related to the Gaunts had surprised me more than Mirjam could have guessed. Hanging on every word Tom had ever told me about his past, I immediately remembered that his mother's last name was Gaunt. It would make sense why the both of them could speak Parseltongue. And the prophesy orb she discussed had most troubled me. Mirjam must have kept it and listened to it over and over, since she repeated it with more perfection than her entire story. I could only assume that the "Dark One" it mentioned had to be Lord Voldemort. But who was supposed to be sacrificed? Her story had troubled me more than her intent.

From her biased words, she must have concluded that Marcius or Minnie was the vampire that had bitten Tympanios. It was very strange for me to realize that the vampires were once human. However, it seemed like his cousins were just at the wrong place and the wrong time. Knowing Tom's sureness in his own powers, and that he was distantly related to the subjects of the story, I had to conclude that Marcius somehow thought he was the Dark One. I wondered who was the actual vampire that bit Arnold and caused all this trouble. One of the couple had to have been able to lift the orb out of the Hall of Prophesy. I suppose they did have a part to play, but not the one they expected.

Mirjam let her arm slip out of mine as we reached two gigantic wooden doors. They had been intricately carved, and touched with a bit of magic that made the characters move. It told a story – one I could not decipher. There were humans hunting animals, yet there was something much sinister behind the outward façade. There was a shining being near the top of the doors and writhing beings at the bottom. I did not have enough time to examine it properly since some invisible force opened them for us.

We entered into the huge dining room where both Lord Voldemort and Lord Tympanios waited patiently, quietly discussing something at the far end of the table. The ceilings were covered in a dark cherry wood, matching the large cherry table in front of me. It was almost ridiculous how far it stretched. Mirjam had walked faster than me, as I was admiring the decoration, and had already pulled out my seat next to Tom. Our backs were to the windows with drawn, velvet like curtains that reached from ceiling to floor. Candles floated about the ceiling as well as candelabras strewn along the table. The opposite side of the room had an old tapestry made by wizards. It had the same scene as the doors, but in color. The room's walls had a blood red color, which I was none too surprised by.

The vampire lord sat at the head of the table, with Mirjam on his left and Tom on his right. I was placed next to Lord Voldemort, but implicitly out of the circle. As I sat down, Tom and Tympanios quietly ended their conversation. Tom glanced at me, relatively glad to see me, which sent a small blush to my cheeks. I looked away towards Tympanios. He was smiling at me, showing off his freshly bleached teeth. "How did you find my home Eva?" His thick accent was more noticeable than Mirjam'.

I nodded, "It's spectacular! Your castle is magnificent."

Something I said was funny since Tympanios busted with laughter. I turned to Tom, and a forced grin was tugging at the sides of his mouth. He caught my glance and shook his head slightly as if I had said the wrong thing. "I told you!" the vampire's voice boomed, "All the normal humans who come through here love my home. Comfort calms the soul, and makes the blood better. You are just strange." His last comment was directed towards Tom.

"The vampire lord had bet me on whether or not you liked his house. I assumed you were used to the finer things, but apparently our feeble living has made your senses dull." I couldn't hold in my laugh. Tom was so strange at times and had no good gambling luck.

Our dinner had been served to us by vampire servants. Thankfully, their skin was a safe peach color. Tom and I had been served an excellent meal of prime rib. "Almost as good as your food," Tom had teased with a serious face. The vampires were given large bowls of a thick, red consistency they jokingly named "tomato soup." They were not ravenous at all; the two, despite their rural beginnings, held themselves as if they were true lords and ladies.

As I ate, I kept staring at the tapestries that were hanging on the wall across from me. The vampires noticed, and Tympanios questioned me first. "Do you know how vampires originated?"

I had been so deep in thought, I was startled by his voice. Tympanios simply grinned at me. "I bought this tapestry almost a century ago for very cheap. The old man had no idea what it was worth. I had the doors, you may have noticed, carved as well. This," he gestured with his hands to the wall, "is the story of the first vampires.

"The deeply religious, like my dear Mirjam, believe that vampires were created by God to work for the devil, as punishment to the sinners. Wizards, like myself, believe the vampires were cursed.

"The story begins long ago, when Muggles were nomads and the Dark Arts had not separated itself from magic as we know it. Ruling over all, there were great and terrible warlocks. Muggles named them gods and worshiped them. Being able to control the world around them, both good and bad, they reveled in their own power. However, some Muggles and lesser wizards (known as druids) were tired of working to the bone for the gods. They were starving, hunting the best animals, baking the best bread, and giving the best wine all to the gods. These warlocks distracted the Muggles from rebelling by dazzling them with magic beyond words. But the druids were not easily distracted.

"A small group of them snuck into the storage houses of the gods, directly forbidden except for the high wizards. One of the warlocks had caught the druids drinking wine. He grew into a rage and turned the wine into blood. But the people were starving, and so they continued to drink. Seeing his punishment had no effect, the warlock sent a killing curse to them. This, of course, was before the polished 'Avada Kedavra.' The warlock did kill them, but not in the way he wanted. Their bodies were dead yet their souls were trapped, still alive. Still drinking the blood, they thirsted for more and more. They attacked the warlock, sucking the blood dry from him. The vampires ended up destroying the entire temple, and roamed from then on."

As Tympanios spoke his story, the tapestry began to weave to form every scene of his story. There was a silent hush over the table with only the clinking of silverware echoing in the room from Tom's plate. Tympanios unexpectedly laughed, grabbing Mirjam' face jestingly. "Even when we met one of the First, you still wouldn't believe. You've always been so religious."

Mirjam gave a small smile, and I wasn't sure if it was a true one.

In our later conversations, Lord Tympanios became most interested about our schooling at Hogwarts. He wanted to know about everything, from classes we were required to take to the descriptions of dorm rooms. He was most interested in the different Houses and how they were categorized. I wasn't sure if Tom understood why he was so fascinated, but after Mirjam' story, I realized that we had a life he had craved for.

"So," he started, laying down his spoon, "You were both…sorted into the House of Slytherin. That is where the most powerful wizards come from, yes?"

Tom gave a smug smile. "Yes, my lord. I myself descend from the great Salazar Slytherin himself. That is how I speak Parseltongue."

"The Riddles are descendants of Slytherin?"

Tom's face glowered. He tried hard to keep control of himself, knowing it wasn't Tympanios fault he had picked a bad subject. "No," Tom said, trying to keep control of his voice, "It was my mother's side. The Gaunts."

As I had expected, Tympanios' face lit up. His eyes became calculating, almost as if he was waiting for Tom to take it back, admit he was lying. Tom stared right back calculating the vampire's own motives. I glanced at Mirjam, who had been quiet the entire time. She gave me a quick smile, and then went back to staring at her husband. I could sense the pain now, how she loved a man she wanted to hate. Her eyes betrayed her. I understood, now, why back in the clearing so long ago, she had a deadness in her eyes. This was not a life, if it was life at all, she wanted. While she first told me her tale, I could see her face, for the first time, light up with happiness. The heavy eyelids had risen. Her human life had been perfect.

Lord Tympanios and Lord Voldemort had their staring contest long enough. Tympanios broke it first, clapping his hands. Suddenly three well-fed vampires appeared out of nowhere and cleared the table. After the servants had disappeared, the vampire lord stood up. The rest of us copied his example.

"I want to show you two something very important to me." I looked up to Tom judging what his reaction was. He glanced down at me as if I was a piece of luggage and grabbed my arm lightly. The two vampires glided across the dining room effortlessly, while I was being almost dragged by Tom's long steps. Was he afraid I was suddenly going to run away? I just had dinner with a bunch of slowly starving vampires. What else was there to scare me away?

The four of us exited into the hallway Mirjam and I had come from. Tom continued to drag me, while I finally tugged myself away from his grip. He was acting very strange. Tympanios took us down the opposite direction Mirjam had taken me, so the pictures on the walls were new to me. Slowly, the hallway became darker and darker as the magical lights faded. I felt a little claustrophobic as the hall evolved into solid walls with fewer doors, less windows, and even lesser decorations. I could see the end of the hallway becoming nearer. We were coming closer to a shining light near the end.

I was five feet away when I realized what it was. On a half pillar was a glass case. Inside the case was a small crystal orb emitting a blue light sitting on a satin pillow. I glanced at Mirjam to make sure what I was seeing was what I assumed. She did not catch my glance, but continued staring at her husband. I saw the glow off of the orb in Tympanios' face. He had an eager yet menacing smile as he reached out his hand. Somehow, he was able to slip his hand through the glass like it was water and pull out the orb. The vampire held it carefully, and stepped towards us. He indicated wordlessly that he was about to hand it to Tom. He slowly obliged by holding out his hands. Before the prophesy orb touched his fingers, I saw an unexpected worry flash through his face. Tom didn't know what waited for him.

The instant it made contact, the hallway was filled with a blinding light and swarming with many languages, coming from one woman's voice. In English, the prophecy was relayed in the air:

"Before the time is ready, the blood drinkers must arise. A leader will die and be reborn by one bitten by the First. He and the other will work with a terrible power, set on controlling the world. The blood that once flowed through his veins will flow through the Dark One. The sacrifice of an equal's blood will bond an unrelenting reign of fear across all living beings, but if the blood is destroyed, the Dark One will lose. If the sacrifice lasts, only One will control the entire world."

Suddenly, for the vampires, the prophecy made the most sense it had in years. Tom's eyes were wild with excitement. He knew exactly what it meant, and he knew exactly who the Dark One was. Tympanios' face was a mix of pure evil and joy. He had found his purpose, and had found the Dark One. After centuries of living without ever knowing the reason why his life had been destroyed, the answer had come.

The light dimmed and all that was heard was Tom's quick, excited breath. My eyes were still adjusting to the darkness when Tom's voice pierced the silence. "This means…you will come with me. You will side with me." There was no question.

Tympanios laughed, darker than I expected. "Yes. My cousin had brought this message to me, blinded by the notion that he was the One. How very foolish he was."

My eyes had adjusted by then, and I turned to see Mirjam's reaction. She was smiling, ever so slightly, but without compassion. She might be happy about the death and destruction that was to come, or just pleased to find a reason for her existance. I was happy that Tom's plans were finally beginning to bear fruit.

"It seems, Lord Voldemort, that we have ourselves a negotiation." Before Tom could reply, he quickly added, "However, the crystal ball declared that 'he and the other' would work with you. Before we are on full agreement, you must talk to the 'other.' He is the one that changed me."

Tom was curious, but also plainly upset that he had to step through more hoops to finish his plans. Tympanios began explaining, still with his dangerous voice, "My cousin, Marcius Gaunt, brought the vampire to me that fateful night. A recently made one, at that: Petar Blagojevic. He was bitten by one of the First, quite an honor if you ask me. He too lived and died in Serbia like us." The vampire lord turned to Voldemort to finish his explanation. "But right now Peter is in Poland, near Krakow. I believe he knows you are coming. He's always had a sixth sense about these things. You need to have him on your side before I do anything else. I do not mess with the Fates."

Tom was, surprisingly, calm. He sighed and nodded, getting the exact location of where Peter would be located. "It would be best for you to visit him on the next full moon. He cannot stay visible for long and does not become as bad-tempered as I do on moon nights."

"Thank you my lord," Tom bowed swiftly. I curtsied, falling as low as I could. "I will arrange a meeting when I am finished talking to the 'other.'"

Tympanios gave a sly grin, shining one of his longer incisor teeth at Tom. "I'm sure you will."

Before Tom held onto my forearm and Disapparated the two of us away, I said goodbye to Mirjam. "It was wonderful to spend time with you," I said. Truly, I meant it.

She smiled back, with a twinge of pain. "Yes…I did enjoy your company. We must socialize again."

I turned to Tom, ready to leave, when I heard her shout as my body felt itself Disapparating, "What I wanted to tell you! You look like Gaunt’s mistress!" And then we were back in our shack, safe at home.


	19. November 16, 1948

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Eva visit Petar. Later they practice dueling.

Albania  
(1947-1957)

November 16, 1948

"Listen!" Tom unexpectedly shouted, slamming his fist onto the old, rotting table, causing it to crack. I jumped at the unexpected noise since Tom was talking calmly to Petar only moments before. "I need you to work with me. I cannot accept no for an answer!" Tom had lowered his voice, but there was still a threat hidden in his tone.

The vampire merely stared at him. Petar Blagojevic was a man in his later years with a winkled face, grey hair, and tired eyes. He lived in an abandoned shack on the outskirts of a small town named Krakow. Unlike our shack, his was falling apart. When we arrived, his skin was safe tan color.

When we arrived on that moonlit dirt path an hour ago, Petar was waiting outside, sitting in a forgotten chair under what could be called a porch. Like Tympanios had predicted, he sensed we were coming, welcoming us by name. It was eerie to say the least, like how Tom always knows what I'm thinking when I'd rather have him not know. He sat us down to a moldy dinning set, and I wondered if he even lived here. Perhaps it was just a front. Then again, he did not need to live like normal humans.

Petar treated Tom like an equal, and constantly corrected him whenever he demoted himself. "Please, Lord Voldemort, I am not like Arnold. I do not need your submission." He spoke his English very well, with very little accent.

Things were going along very smoothly, until Tom found out he was discussing world domination with a pacifist. "What?" was Tom's tight, politely confused response when Petar told him he would not join us.

The vampire folded his hands. His black eyes, like marbles, turned thoughtful and determined. "As I said, I am afraid I cannot side with you or your plans. I will not allow reckless killing on behalf of one man."

"It is not reckless killing. Aren't you upset at the mistreatment of your kind? You have no rights, no power. These wizards in charge think they can control the world with all their petty rules and equality, when, in reality, they take all the power for themselves. I on the other hand, have more brains and magic than they have combined. Creatures, and vampires such as yourself, of the Dark Arts will no longer be shunned. I am not asking for anarchy. I am asking for a reformation, led by myself. The people who are killed will die for a reason."

I did have to admit, Lord Voldemort gave a pretty convincing speech.

I watched as Tom had another of his famous staring competitions with Petar across the table. After only a couple of seconds, Petar smiled cautiously and Tom gave a frustrated huff. Petar kept his smile but began to speak cautiously. "So…you speak Parseltongue and have Legilimency. It is too bad for you that I have also mastered Occulency. Your pathetic attempts to get in here," he pointed at his temple, "will come to no fruition. I have told you the truth, so why are you intruding where you don't belong?"

Silence ran between them, and I watched closely as they continued their fierce stare. Petar broke first, saying, "It seems like there is a problem for you, Voldemort. I do not agree with your ideas, thus I will not join you on your quest for power." Those words sent Lord Voldemort off the edge.

After Tom shouted at Petar, everything became silent. He seemed to be trying very hard to hold his tedious composure as Petar slowly shook his head, as if he was disappointed in Tom. At first, it appeared that Petar was an open, kind man. Now, even I felt his outright disapproval of Tom was very uncalled for.

Tediously, I decided to break the tension in the air and try to convince Petar. "Sir," he looked over to me, giving his full attention, while Tom continued to control his outrage and ignore me. "The Dark Lord simply wants your cooperation in these matters. You do not need to kill anyone personally; he only assumed, because of your appetite."

With his hand still folded, Petar leaned in towards me. He looked at me as if he was going to lecture a young child. He spoke, "I am not ruled by my 'appetite.' Only newly made vampires and those that feed the urges are untamed. I have given up human blood all together, and now I drink only livestock."

I glanced at Tom, who looked slightly surprised, either at my forwardness or at his diet. Then his face changed to one of reassurance, and he gave me a very, very slight nod of encouragement. I turned back to Petar and explained, "We would be pleased to give you anything you offer, any sort of need. Acquiring livestock is no problem for the Dark Lord."

Petar frowned, only slightly, and released his hands from each other. He stretched out a hand towards me, placing it on the now cracked table. "Do you have any children?"

I was slightly taken aback by his unexpected question but straightened myself quickly. "No, I don't."

He sighed and looked at me rather fondly, like a father looks at his daughter or how I would imagine one to look. "After I was changed by one of the First, I my thirst was uncontrollable. I ran wildly around, killing everyone in sight. When I had calmed down the after a few days I didn't care that I had murdered. But I felt out of place. I needed to find my family, explain to them what had happened. My son answered the door. Not having been around near fresh blood since the night before, I told him to run away. But he didn't." Petar paused, and I saw in his eyes the same grief I had seen in Adamaris'.

He continued after sobering up quickly, "When a vampire is first changed, they need to feed for quite some time until they can control themselves. Arnold was one of the first I had encountered that calmed himself down after only five kills. Of course, he has always been the exception. But after I regained some control, I realized that every person I had killed was someone's son or daughter. Every person I was going to kill was someone's child. It was after I murdered my son that I decided to only drink animals." Petar paused, letting his story sink into my head. "I can get cows just fine by myself. What you propose is to kill more sons and daughters. Why would I ever want to encourage that sort of behavior?"

I was ready for him now. "If you didn't want to kill, why did you allow Marcius to convince you to change Arnold? This whole thing has ultimately been decided by your actions." My face was unmovable. I wanted to hear what he would say for his defense, knowing I could catch him there too.

His eyebrows rose at the sound of Marcius' name and said softly, "That is a name I have not heard for many years. I am surprised you know it." I made no sign of response, and continued to wait for his answer. "When the Gaunt man came to talk to me, I had already turned from human blood. I saw in his words the grandeur visions of power he so imagined. He had found out a lot about me, and I was interested in what he was saying. It was almost along the same lines as yourself Lord Voldemort," he gave a quick glance to the now interested Tom. "He explained to me the prophecy and how Arnold would fit into it. In some twisted way, I believed if I was able to change a future vampire leader, I could somehow influence him and teach him how to refrain from killing humans. From him I we would be able to influence other vampires around us and attain a higher morality. Marcius' fantasies were not a problem for me; I knew he was stupid enough to stay while Arnold was changing.

"How very foolish and ignorant I was then. After the transformation, Arnold became truly evil. I watched from a distance the horror he caused. Then, he selfishly changed his own wife. Arnold, though lucid, was uncontrollable, and I cursed myself for thinking I could tame such a creature. Marcius, like I had predicted, was killed by Arnold." I was slightly surprised by the dark smirk he had. He must not have liked Marcius too much. "That boy was so strong he ripped him right in two, in front of Gaunt's own mistress."

My eyes turned to Tom, a slight apprehensiveness playing up on my face. Tom's eyes shined with eagerness. He was excited about the prospects of Tympanios ripping people in two, but part of me was worried that we would become those people. Petar saw Tom's eagerness as well. Ignoring him, the vampire went on with his story. "But I saw the rush he had from this sudden power. His whole life he had been hiding his magic, proving himself useless in the wizarding world. Now, he held felt he held the world on a string.

"Because of my mistake, I led to the killings of thousands of people. I will not make the same mistake again." His face held firm, and he folded his hands back together. The moon shining in through the window etched every wrinkle on his face. Tom was silent, while I was trying to put the words in my head together to make a perfect argument.

The conversation had been brought to a head. What I would say could either turn Petar away from us totally or he will have to side with us. I could only hope that Tom would be proud of me in the end. "Sir," I started, "if you fulfill the prophecy, there will be no more unnecessary blood. If you continue hiding, unable to choose a proper side, the vampire lord will continue his uncontrolled reign. He has already depleted his area. With us, we can help you restrict him, mold him in the way you wanted. The Dark Lord is the One of the prophecy, and you know this. The choice is with you: continue to hide, stealing cows from the farms or do what you set out to do in the beginning– create a 'higher moral ground' for your people."

Tom and I watched Petar for his reaction. He was mulling over my words and his own thoughts. After what seemed to be a couple of minutes, he leaned back in his rickety chair and sighed. "You," he pointed at Tom, "have already convinced Arnold in these matters, am I right?"

"Yes," Tom replied, nodding slightly.

Petar crossed his arms, frowning now. I was afraid he was going to tell us the same response as before. "No," I imagined he would say. I saw the horrors of Tom's anger flood through my mind. When we got home, I would get it. His furious eyes would sparkle, while my own would be filled with tears. This was a trial. I was being tested, and before the paper was given, I knew I had received a Troll.

"I will meet with you and Arnold. I will reconsider your offer. Now leave me be."

Relief flooded through my body. Tom was composed as always, as if he expected Petar's words. Tom started to stand, and I followed the act. He reached out to shake Petar's hand, and I curtsied slightly. Petar unfolded his hands and grasped Tom's. We exited without another word.

Tom had a light smile play upon his lips. I was happy in the fact that I had done something right. I hopefully had passed a test, on my way to earning the respect of Lord Voldemort.

We reached the edge of the dirt road with Petar's shack in the distance, and I let the moon shine over me. There was no snow outside, but a chilly wind blew through, causing my hair to wave and my body to shiver. I closed my eyes, waiting for Tom to grab my arm and take us home. But he didn't.

I opened my eyes and looked behind me, only to find Tom staring at me. His smile was very small and his eyes were inquisitive. I made a questioning face, wondering why he was pausing.

"You did very well, Eva," he congratulated me. "For once I am happy to have brought you."

"Well," I said shyly, feeling overwhelmed by his compliments, "I wanted to be of use to you, my lord. Petar seemed like a man who wanted to right his wrongs, and I gave him a way of doing that."

He rubbed his short beard in a thoughtful way. "Yes, yes you did. I can see that you are learning the ways of negotiation from me. This is good." He nodded to himself, and began to think of possibilities where my new diplomacy skills would come in handy.

After a moment's pause, he reached down to grab my hand to Disaparate back to our home. It was late, but today had been a good day. Tom was excited too, since he immediately went to his study as soon as we arrived. I wasn't sure if I could manage any sleep. However, as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.

* * *

December 12, 1948

I blew hot breath into my gloved hands to warm my face, taking a break from dueling with Tom Riddle. It was mid-morning by now and we had already been practicing for what seemed hours. Surprisingly, I had woken up early this morning. I was able to feed the goats and chickens even before the sun had risen. I also made sure their heating charms were working on their quarters. I checked on my winter crop of cabbage, parsnips, and squash. In about a month they would be ready, and I was looking forward to the soup they would become.

Albania, thankfully, was nowhere near as cold as England was. However, this was our second winter, and we were acclimating. I had to wear gloves, a heavy coat, and winter boots to keep myself warm though there was no snow to be seen except on the mountains far away.

Tom was ten feet in front of me, leaning onto a tree with his nose in a book. I was the one who had asked for a break since I had been doing terrible – as was typical. Maybe I was being too hard on myself. I had definitely gotten better than when we had first started in mid-summer. I was finally able to block a few spells on alternating Sundays and occasionally I would plant a good one on Tom. But the vast majority of the time was still recovering from Tom's perfect form.

To my disappointment, we had not been able to use or practice with the soul stones we collected a month ago. I asked Tom once about it, but he brushed me off as if I was speaking gibberish. He was still affected by that bear.

Tom was bundled up as well. He had been sporting a short beard for the past two months, but today he finally had become fed up with it and shaved it completely off. His free hand was rubbing his face warm since it was losing more heat than he had been used to. Regardless, he was handsome either way.

"I believe I'm ready to continue now, my lord." He glanced up from his book to look at me, as if he would be the judge. The book snapped shut and flew into his study, which was only a few feet to my right. We were standing fairly close to the forest for today's exercise because it was the best place to not have the sun in our eyes but not be in the freezing shadows.

His eye sparkled and a smile played on his lips. "So you haven't given up for the day?"

I stood firm, not willing to back down to him no matter how much he goaded me. "No, I have not given up."

Instantly he whipped out his wand and said in a loud voice, "Stupefy!" A scarlet flash flew towards my chest, and then I blacked out.

After however long it took for Tom to revive me, my eyes slowly blinked open. A massive headache was forming in the back of my head. I groaned as I pushed myself off the ground into a standing position. Maybe I was done for the day, I thought sadly.

Through my pained vision, I heard Tom begin to lecture. "Eva – I would think by now you are thoroughly tired of finding yourself on the floor. Move your feet for Merlin's sake. You can't just stay still in a duel. We're fighting, not having a discussion."

I rolled my eyes because I had heard him say this already at least twice every lesson. My throbbing head even seemed aggravated by his voice. It was easy for him to tell me what to do but hard for my body to respond. My feet were just glued to the floor and I wasn't as coordinated as he was. "Yes! I know! My feet are just slower than yours. I try my hardest to move, but your spells are too fast."

"Then duck or roll or something! You need to move your body out of the way if you don't think that you can put a protection spell fast enough. Just standing there makes you such an easy target."

Right as he was finishing his sentence I decided to send a sneak attack upon him. I was getting tired of him telling me time and time again what to do without considering that maybe it was his teaching method that was to blame. As soon as he spoke his last words, I pointed my wand and said, "Silencio."

Tom ducked soon enough for the spell to shoot right over him and hit a tree. He laughed at my feeble attempt to surprise him. "Just like what I did – simply duck if you don't have enough time to properly react." Then he began to laugh again, most likely at my angered face.

Quickly, while still trying to calm his laughter, he sent another spell. "Sepensortia." Although the typical spell was to have one snake appear, Tom was better at it than most and had formed three. The green snakes slithered to me in the cold grass as fast as their newly formed bodies could. Tom's laugh was dying as he watched what I would do to defend against the three snakes. Although he could have sent even more spells at me while I was distracted, thankfully he resisted. My headache was also fading away which allowed me to focus better.

I shot a few elimination spells at them, but every one missed. As they drew upon me faster, I was becoming more frustrated with my lack of aim. Tom began laughing at me again. This time I was so upset with him and myself that I threw my hands up in the air, let out an angry cry, and whipped them back down to the ground.

An odd thing happened after that. The snakes seemed to have risen with my hands, and as I brought my arms down and out, two snakes flew into the trees and the third ran into the wall of Tom's study. I looked at their limp bodies and took them as dead. I was shocked, at first. I bit my lip, trying to figure out what I had done. I didn't use my wand or emit any curse that I could recall. Had Tom killed them?

I looked up to him to see him pleasantly surprised. "Eva, that was good work! I honestly didn't expect anything like it from you, especially at your current level." I was perturbed by his backhanded compliments, but didn't take too much notice since I was still confused on what had happened.

"Did I…did I do that with my mind?"

Tom frowned good-naturedly. "Really? Why must you be like this now? Of course you did. We've been practicing and now it seems that you can control it to a degree. It's fantastic, now let's do it again."

I was trying to remember how exactly I had moved the snakes, but it all happened subconsciously. I glanced back to where their bodies were, and they had already disintegrated. Tom already had his wand out and said the spell before I could recollect further.

The snakes came at me again, and I waved my hands around like I had before. However, I knew that it wouldn't work – and it didn't. Finally when they were too close, I uttered, "Vipera Evanesce." The three green snakes disappeared, but Tom was not happy with my performance.

"No! You were supposed to kill them without spells. Eva, you are the worst student! Why don't you listen to me?" He let out an annoyed sigh. "Let's try again." His bossy tone made me frustrated, and I glared at him, pursing my lips.

For the third time, he released the snakes, but he also did more. An Impedimenta jinx flew towards me and I was too slow to avoid it. Frozen, I could only watch as the snakes came closer and Tom sent another spell towards me. "Expelliarmus," he shouted, and my wand flew out of my hand before I could react. Now I was stuck, wand-less, and snakes were making their way towards me. Although I was becoming annoyed with Tom, I was much more embarrassed by how terribly skilled I was in dueling. Part of me wanted to cry, but even if I wholly wanted to I couldn't under this jinx.

But then what Tom did next was unthinkable. A wicked grin crawled on his face as he saw me trapped. Then low words emitted from his mouth, but they were loud enough for me to hear. "Crucio."

Like everything had been cast under a slowing charm, I watched as the red light shoot towards me. By then I could feel the immobility jinx wearing off. I had no wand, so there was nothing to do except wait for the pain. I myself had never been on the receiving side so I didn't know what awaited me. My hands became free, and as fast as I could, yet it seemed far too slow, I raised them up to cover my face.

Before it hit me all I could angrily think was, Tom is a terrible teacher. The next moment the red light shined through my hands and at the same time I felt a burst of adrenaline run through me. I tensed my body and waited for the pain to come. I waited and waited. I realized it should have already hit me, yet it hadn't.

I had been cowering, with my hands in front of me face. I peeled them off and checked my surroundings. The snakes had been destroyed and a large circle of grass where they had been was scorched and dead. I looked back up to Tom. I don't think I had ever seen him so shocked. His eyes were wide and his eyebrows were as far up as possible. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out so he closed it quickly. A second later he tried to speak again, "Well… I honestly didn't know that was possible."

I swallowed, "What? That what is possible?"

His face became even more confused. "That obviously you blocked the spells with your hands – without even a wand."

I let his words sink into me. Never in all of our schooling had we heard of such a thing. Then again, not many wizards and witches had telekinetic powers, so perhaps that had something to do with it. I didn't believe it at first, that I had such a gift. Still, how could I explain what had happened. Tom had seen it with his own eyes, while I had mine hidden.

Suddenly my emotions changed. I began to dwell on why he had even used a forbidden curse on me after he had disarmed me. What did he expect me to do? "Why are you so surprised? Leaving me without my wand, how else did you expect me to defend myself?" My tone was not filled with pleasantness.

Tom stammered, "I thought – well I thought you would get your wand back with your mind and then dodge. I never thought it possible that you could use your mind to move the spells in mid-air." After a moment, his face turned sour and indignant. Immediately he threw his own wand on the floor. I gasped because in all of my years knowing him I don't think he has ever treated his wand that way.

"Curse me," he yelled at me. "Do it! Curse me – if you can do it, I can do it."

Not wanting to disobey him when he was on the verge, I quickly searched for my wand hidden in the grass. As soon as I found it I whipped around to Tom and shot a somewhat harmless stunning spell. He raised his hands the same way I had, but it was no use. I rarely was able to hit Tom and never with a stunning spell before so it was pretty surprising to see Tom sent flying backwards to land on his seat in a pretty undignified manner. I tried with every fiber in my body not to laugh at him since I could see he was getting even more aggravated.

Tom brushed himself off as he stood. His eyes were slowly turning red, and I was wishing that we had stopped dueling after he knocked me out. "No! It needs to be the Cruciatus curse," he snarled.

I was afraid that was what he would say. "No, I won't," I replied more timidly than I wanted.

He gave me such a look that it sent shivers down my spine, and I was afraid to say no to him once more. He spoke every word slowly and softly, yet each was tinged with menace. "Yes, you will. Do it."

I knew better than to fight him any more than I already had. I had to gather up my emotions before I performed the curse. I had only used it once before, and that was under Tom's command at Hogwarts. Zilya Dolohov had been caught telling a professor the truth of where he had been the night before. It happened to be up in the Astronomy Tower with the rest of Tom's club. Tom wanted to make sure that secrecy was the most important rule, and because I had caught him I was the one to deliver the punishment. I had failed the first time, and it was, according to Tom, because I didn't feel conviction for his punishment.

I stared at the burnt grass in front of me that I had caused and took a deep breath. I had caused that, and now Tom was trying to prove that he could do it too. Ever since I had laid eyes on him in my first year, I knew he was a great wizard. Even here in Albania, everything he did confirmed it. Except today I found there was something I could do that he couldn't. His words rang in my ears: "If you can do it, I can do it!" A twinge of anger ran through me. No matter how smart I actually was, Tom only saw me as a child. But I wasn't! I am a full grown witch who can have powers of her own – some which cannot be duplicated. Tom thinks that he can do everything and anything – maybe I should bring him down a peg.

"Crucio," I muttered with glaring eyes. The red beam shot out of my reed wand. His hands were raised and his face was set as the spell sped through the air towards him. For a moment, I thought he would in fact block it just as I had.

But he didn't.

His scream was so frightening that the birds in the forest immediately took to the air. The goat began to bray and the chickens woke up from their late morning nap. Tom grabbed his head so hard even from a distance I could see the veins bulge. I myself was panicked by Tom's scream that I instantly regretted cursing him. It was so high-pitched and unending. He had collapsed onto the floor on his knees and clutched his head in his lap. Then the scream came to a halt, but he remained still on the grass. He made no noise and I couldn't tell if he was still breathing.

I ran over to him as fast as I could. I tripped and fell next to him on my hands and knees. I lowered my head to see his face, but his hands were covering it. I heard shallow breaths trapped in his hands, and I was relieved that he was still alive. After what seemed to be an eternity (although it was probably just a minute), Tom finally let his hands fall from his face. They lay limp on the ground, and I lowered my head again to see his face.

Tom's grey eyes were like stones as he stared at the ground. His forehead was sweaty and his lips were pulled tight with bitterness. He was upset that he couldn't block the spell like I had. He never caught my eye.

Tom stood up slowly to stand on his feet. Ignoring me, he went to pick up his wand, which had found itself a couple feet behind me. Then he walked towards his study room without another word.

I felt like I should say something. "My lord…" He paused his steps but didn't turn around. "I-I'm going to take care of the Sunday chores, then."

Tom remained still, and I turned towards the main house, walking away from him. I needed to do the laundry and prepare lunch as well as dinner. The plants needed tending to. I might as well clean the house while I was at it. As I reached for the door, I heard his low voice.

"Eva, you did well today. I've never heard of anyone deflecting spells with their mind. You might become a great dueler someday if you are able to harness that power." Then I heard a faint sigh. I turned back to look at him, but he had already slammed the study door.


	20. January 11, 1949

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Eva break into Azkaban

Albania  
(1947-1957)

January 11, 1949

The Woman was taunting him like she always did. In his dreams, she was more striking than ever. Her blue eyes blazed, her hair was five times silkier and three times longer, and her attitude was one hundred times stronger. Her skin was paler and softer, emitting a light of its own. She laughed musically, but it was like scratching on chalkboard to his ears. "I'm sure you're becoming tired of me Tom Riddle." He frowned and clutched his fists; his normal reaction to this demonic woman.

He gritted through his teeth, "I wish you would just leave me alone."

She acted playfully hurt, grabbing her chest and falling slowly onto the stone floor. This woman was all dramatics. Her hair was falling everywhere as she feigned fainting. She was lying on her stomach. Tom walked over to her body, pushed her with his foot, and flipped her over. Her face appeared tightened with a smirk. He looked back at her with a bored look.

Her face suddenly turned sad: the perfect actress. "Oh Tom! You break my heart when you don't play my games."

"Your games are ridiculous and childish." He crossed his arms, stepping over her into the dark nothingness that surrounded them. Almost every night now since the bear had attacked him, this was his dream. Conversing with a strange Woman who looked exactly like the woman he was trying hard to detach himself from: Eva Smith. This Eva, however, was nothing like the real one. But she was just as annoying – in a different sort of way. Tom could never escape her, so he had learned to go along with her…most of the time.

Tonight she was taking it too far. As he walked away, her soft skinned, firm hands grabbed his hand. He craned his neck to stare at her. He was suddenly caught by her very innocent, pleading face which, this time, did look like his Eva. He groaned softly, "Stop."

An evil grin appeared, destroying her previous face. "You're so easy to upset Tom. Does it bother you, when I look like her?" She laughed hysterically. He shook her off, not wanting to continue appeasing her. Desperately, he wanted something outside to wake him up. Tom knew he was dreaming, yet he could never escape until the night was over. He had been cursed somehow. He knew it.

He walked a few steps further into the abyss. His arms were still crossed when she appeared right in front of him. As he stopped, refusing to look her in the eyes, she placed her hands on his chest, feeling the fabric of his shirt. Her eyes were staring at Tom, with a bit of true sadness. "Tom Riddle... You will eventually have to make a decision. What are you going to do about Eva? Are you willing to sacrifice your pride and your pain for a chance to find happiness?"

He kept ignoring her. She pulled her hands off of him and grabbed his face, bending it close to her own. He lazily caught her glance and frowned. Her eyes were serious and like deep pools. "I know what you want: ultimate power. And it's at your grasp. But I know what else you want: Eva. Don't roll your eyes! The more you keep denying yourself this simple pleasure, the more you'll bleed."

He quickly and forcibly pulled her hands off his face. He was furious with her; he reached his hands out to grab her neck, but she had disappeared. He had tried before to catch her, but it was always futile. In his dreams, he had no wand and no magic. He felt naked. He felt like a useless, pathetic human. It was a true nightmare. She appeared in front of him again, and he pushed her aside. She gleefully laughed, knowing she hit a major vein. He continued walking towards the abyss, always ending up in the same spot. The only noises echoing through this forgotten place was his shoes on the cold stone floor.

"Oh Tom," the woman sang out, calling for his attention. He unenthusiastically turned around, only to find the woman gently feeling the golden frame of a rather large mirror. On top of the frame was the inscription "ERISED." Recognizing it from his studies, Tom eagerly walked over to it. Before he could look however, the Woman jumped in front, her arms outstretched. She mockingly chided him and said, "What you see, you might not enjoy."

He scoffed, "How could I not enjoy what I desire?"

A shrew smile spread across her lips. "You are very odd, Tom Riddle. You are two people in one – the awful Lord Voldemort and the wanting, little orphan boy. I know you fight with yourself. The mirror will not be as kind as I am. Don't say I didn't warn you." She slowly glided away, letting Tom see his reflection.

What he saw made his eyebrows raise and his face turn ecstatic. A tall, foreboding figure stood in the mirror, skin as pale as the moon, long fingers moving with the same rhythm as Tom's, eyes glinting like rubies, a flat snake-like face, and a grin to send chills down any one's back. His dark robe was billowing with an invisible wind, and Tom couldn't stop staring. This, this was what he truly was. This is what he could become. This was what he wanted.

He looked down to his own figure, and realized that the mirror was not reflecting a fantasy. The image had pasted itself onto his own skin. He was truly Lord Voldemort now. A high pitched laugh echoed through the room. The Woman, hiding part of herself behind the mirror shivered slightly, squinting against the wind rushing thought the depths of darkness. The echo of a laugh kept going, and she walked out of her hiding place.

Voldemort caught her eye and said in a chilling voice that was not Tom Riddle's at all, "If you thought I wouldn't enjoy this, I would love to see what you think I would despise."

She smiled, sad this time. "I can do just that," the Woman said quietly. Her hand was at the top of the frame and spun it around. Voldemort stared at the mirror, frowning since he could not understand what else the mirror could show him? The Woman's face was composed and serious as she stared into the calculating eyes of Dark Lord.

Finally the mirror slowed, but he was still not able to make clear any images. With one last flip, the mirror stopped, and Lord Voldemort hissed in a sharp breath of air. His mirror image had become Tom Riddle again, and Eva Smith was wrapped tightly in his arms. Her face was looking up at his, innocent and beautiful as always. Surprisingly, his own face was staring down into hers, his human grey eyes soft and his face impassive. His pale thin fingers were brushing through her blond hair. Voldemort watched as the mirror image of Tom Riddle tightened his grip around Eva. He pulled his eyes away from the image of the two lovers, unwilling to admit a secret that he had been hiding deep in his heart. He refused to accept the thought of love growing in his heart. What had love done for him? It left him to fend for himself, alone and cold with Muggles who despised him. What good had love done for anyone except making them weak? Though the Dark Lord did not tolerate many things, weakness was the pen ultimate.

Still, having seen the vision in the mirror, he was unable to control the feelings surging through his body: anger, regret, and most importantly, jealousy. And he hated himself for all of them.

He told himself that he was no longer Tom Riddle, with pathetic emotions such as love and jealousy, and yet he couldn't seem to shake the echo of them off. The Woman watched sadly as the Dark Lord fought with himself between his two opposite halves. One wanted his dream of controlling the world; with his mind, skill, and powers it was no large feat. Another side of him wanted to risk everything he had previously believed to explore this new feeling that was blossoming with Eva.

With regret yet at the same time an insatiable pull, the Dark Lord turned his gaze back to the mirror. The Tom Riddle in the reflection looked up from the soft young woman in his arms to stare back at Voldemort. His eyes reflected the same feelings that were coursing through the Dark Lord's mind. Instantly something warm and soft appeared in the Voldemort's arms. He looked down to find the replica of Eva Smith in his own arms. To his secret horror, he realized that he had not changed back to Tom Riddle; he was still the hideous monster he had craved to be just minutes before. With Eva in his arms, a surge of desire to become the Tom Riddle he had once been took over his mind. He turned his glance back to Eva, investigating if she was repulsed by his new look, but she herself had changed quicker than he realized.

She was no longer young and innocent. Her long, flowing golden hair had dulled and was put up in a tight bun. She was wearing a expensive wizard robes and dress. She had on rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings that adorned her like glitter. Her skin was fair and hadn't seen sun in years. Her body had grown thicker yet she was still appealing. Her expression surprised the Dark Lord the most. Her once joyful and happy expression had dissolved into anger, fear and hate. The older Eva pushed herself away from Lord Voldemort fearfully. She tried to stand strong, but the misery in her eyes wouldn't disappear.

Voldemort didn't recognize himself when he stretched out his arm out to grab her again, with or against her will. She backed away, keeping a distance between them. Eva silently shook her head as if she was refusing to come to him. Tears welled up in her eyes but never overflowed.

A click of heels sounded from where the mirror was. Voldemort turned his gaze to the other Woman. Her face was dark but not angered. "This is what will happen if you don't fully choose which path you desire. Fate has already chosen a path for you, but nothing is set in stone with Her. You can make a choice to change this," she pointed to Eva, who was now removing all of the jewelry and outer robes. She was frantic, as if it was causing her pain to continue to wear the items. Then she looked up and opened her mouth to speak, but she only stared into emptiness. As her mouth moved, the dream room became eerily quiet. No sound came from her, but by all other accounts it appeared she was talking to someone She was yelling, then she was struck with something. She recovered and pulled out her own wand. Her hands waved around, as if she was swatting something away. Suddenly, all of Eva's actions were suddenly sped up, and the other two could see she was fighting an invisible person. It sickened Voldemort how worried he was for her, and that feeling only fed into his anger. Why could he not look at her in pain? Why was he feeling weak? Finally, she was kneeling on the floor, under an obvious Cruciatus curse. The Dark Lord looked back to the Lady, wanting this to stop. He had seen enough.

"Keep looking," she said in a harsh tone. Oddly, he obeyed. Eva's actions had been slowed down to normal, and she was still on the floor breathing hard, visibly upset. She looked up to her invisible enemy, trembling. Voldemort wasn't sure if it was out of fear or anger. Her mouth opened to speak but no sound came out. Her mouth moved as if she was confessing to her torturer. She continually swatted her attacker away with her wands, barely ever using her wand. She looked up as she spoke, and Voldemort could see tears growing in her eyes. Then her wrist was pulled up and forcibly down to where she fell into the floor and her wand rolled away. Eva heaved herself back up, swatted her again, and gave a dangerous look to the emptiness. Quickly, her head was slapped away, and she threw her hands up to protect herself. In the next moment, she was up in the hair, being choked to death. Eva clawed at invisible hands around her neck and her feet swung and kicked around. But before it was almost too late, she was dropped to the ground. Eva heaved herself back up but kept her stare to the ground. After a minute had passed, she lifted her head up to look at her torturer.

While the Lady and Voldemort did nothing, a green flash appeared out of nowhere and struck Eva down onto the floor, dead before her body even made a thump. With a deep, he swiveled around questioning the Woman, "What is the meaning of this?" His high pitched voice still caught him a bit off guard. Tom was still hidden behind the façade, and he writhed in an unwelcomed pain after what he witnessed.

The Woman laughed coldly, her harsh voice echoing through his head as she walked back to the Mirror of Erised. Her gorgeous looks were as cold as ice. "Like I have said, Fate has already chosen. But you, Lord Voldemort, also have a choice." She spun the mirror lightly once, and Voldemort's reflection shown through, destruction and ultimate power shining behind him. The world and all creatures were beneath his feet. He was smiling with pure evil as the whole of wizarding kind was bowing before him. "You can have the entire world under your control, a power like no one has had ever. The thing you have desired since the beginning of time. Or," she spun it lightly and the other side had Tom Riddle with the normal, beautiful Eva. Anyone could see by their faces how blissful they were, with the cares of the world behind them and the two of them living forever in each other's arms. "This. Love: the one thing you have been denied so long, and the one thing you will never have again and never understand so long as you live. The one thing you crave and the one thing you push away.

"So what is it you want, Tom Riddle? Lord Voldemort? Everything or one thing? Time is running out to make your decision. I am Lady Fate, Lady Time, and Lady Luck. You should be overjoyed that I am letting you see your future. But if you don't pick one or the other," her eyes turned hard, almost glowing red like his own, "I will get my own way. So make your choice oh Dark One." A ticking noise like a clock started softly echoing throughout the room. As she talked the ticking grew louder, while the room started to slip away into blackness before his eyes. "Otherwise I will slip between your fingers before you even have a chance to realize. Decide! What do you want?" Then her voice was overtaken by the ticking and the blackness engulfed Lord Voldemort, allowing him to fall and drown in the dark, all the while a ticking reverberating in his ears. Tick, tick, tick, tick.

I heard a tapping faintly in my dreams, wondering where it was coming from. I didn't fully awaken until I heard Tom jump up in bed. His jolt shook the mattress underneath my body. I groaned softly and turned myself towards him, opening my eyes to see his frame lit up in the candle light as he crouched over in bed. Groggily I asked him if he was alright. He held his head in his hands, and I could hear his deep breaths and the same tapping from my dream. I had to stop myself from placing a hand on his back, something others would find as a comforting gesture. To Tom, it would probably have been more of a lightning strike. I made a fist instead.

He ran his hands through his raven black hair and sighed. It must have been some nightmare for him to be acting like this. In the soft light of the room, I could see the sweat at the nape of his neck. I slowly sat myself up as well, and glanced out the window on the wall next to Tom. It was still very dark outside, but I saw a small figure that was making the tapping on the window. It was a barn owl, holding a note. I had no idea how long the poor creature was there.

Before I was able to stretch out of bed, Tom was already at the now opened window. He grabbed the letter, but the owl soared away before he was able to tip him. I waited for Tom to rip it open and read it, but instead he handed it over to me. His face was blank, no sign of stress or fear. I wish I was able to wear a stone face like him. I took the letter from him and saw the envelope had a quick scrawl of my first name. It was so quickly written that I couldn't recognize the handwriting. The parchment looked like a specialty kind, something like Norma or Druella would splurge on.

I heard the stove shake gently, indicating it was the top of the hour – probably after midnight. I gently opened the envelop, pulled out the letter, and saw the same quick scrawl which now I could obviously tell was Norma's; except it was much messier than the previous letters. However, I could tell it written in a very formal tone, which was odd for her. Something was amiss.

"Read it aloud," Tom said in a monotone. He was still by the window, folding his arms across his chest. His dark blue pajamas looked black, which made his figure all the more foreboding. The candlelight flickered about his dark face. I didn't question why he couldn't simply read my mind and instead followed orders.

"'Eva,'" I started, "'I apologize profusely if this reaches you at a bad time. I had the owl leave as soon as possible. I am humbly writing this letter in the hopes that you and Lord Voldemort will be able to help me. My cousins, Indus and Dorado Selwyn, who are like brothers to me, have been arrested and taken to Azkaban. They have been put on trial for torturing Muggles and attempting to kill another wizard, but I know that has to be some sort of mistake. They would never go as far as that. I am begging that you can get them out of there. I fear for their souls. The Minister's son has hated them ever since Hogwarts, and they are now at his mercy. He won't give it a second thought to throw them at the Dementors. I ask you, for the sake of my eternal devotion, please spare them from this fate worse than death. They are currently being kept in Azkaban under high protection. I beg of you, please, ask Lord Voldemort for his help. Their lives are so precious to me!'"

I looked up to Tom as I finished her last sentence. His eyes were staring off, far into his own mind. I desperately wanted to help my friend, despite the fact that her cousins probably did commit the crimes. I only hoped that my lord remembered they were good followers all during Hogwarts. Plus, this would give us an excellent excuse to go to Azkaban and meet the head Dementor. Tom would have to say yes.

I saw his dark eyes still mulling over the prospects, his hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully (which was recently clean-shaven yet again). I glanced back down the letter and reread it in my mind. Poor Norma. She was really upset about the whole ordeal. Though, I doubted that they would be sent to have their soul's sucked. I tried to recall the Minister's son. Albert Snitch, I believe his name was. Or Alfred – I couldn't remember. He was in Ravenclaw, in Dorado's year which was a year above Tom, and a huge know-it-all. The brothers acted as relentless bullies to him. But I still doubted that the Minister would allow his son such reckless behavior.

My eyes were looking at Tom for an answer. I watched as his eyes danced around the room: he was going through the possibilities, or so I could only assume. Finally, after five or ten minutes, he spoke to me. "Go back to sleep Eva."

As he walked around the bed going towards the dresser to retrieve a coat, I couldn't keep my mouth shut. "Why? We need to go and help them. Please my lord. This is a grand opportunity."

Tom's hands clenched as he turned slowly towards me, his face angry. "You think I don't realize that?" He let his words sting me a little and continued on, "Of course I see the opportunity. That is why I'm going outside to my study to do something productive so that we will be able to convincingly break them out. What would I do with a worthless sack of bones like you if you stayed up to help me? Fulfill my daily quota for complaints? I think not."

After, he threw on his coat, marched to the front door, and slammed it behind him, I tried to ignore the wetness in my eyes and the pain in my chest. My breath was heavy as I laid down to sleep again. What he had said was extremely bitter with an edge in his voice. I hoped that it was just his nightmare that had caused him to act so irate with me. I should just be happy that we are leaving tomorrow, or today I suppose. At least he was kind enough, in a certain light, to let me go back to sleep.

My thoughts were a jumbled mess as I fretfully closed my eyes to sleep once again.

The candles were out and the sun was shining onto my face by the time I sleepily woke again. I rubbed my eyes and swung myself out of bed to tuck in the sheets. After I changed into my work clothes, I proceeded towards the kitchen. Tom was nowhere in sight, so I took my time to make breakfast. My mind was clouded and foggy, most likely from not having a good night's sleep. I barely remembered what happened a couple hours ago, only that Norma wanted us to break her cousins out of Azkaban and that Tom was irritated with me.

I wasn't sure if Tom heard the eggs sizzling on the pan or if he read my tired thoughts and realized I was up. I turned to look at the door from where he emerged. As his eyes caught mine, I saw his face was emotionless. "You're finally up," he said with a tone of boredom. I cracked two more eggs into the frying pan, assuming that he wanted breakfast as well.

He sat down at the dining table, patiently waiting for me to serve him, twiddling his wand through his fingers. We ignored each other while I set the table. As I put the plate of eggs-over-easy in front of him, I asked as casually as possible what the plans were for today.

He said nothing and instead jammed his fork into the oily protein of the eggs and began eating. I sat down as well, and began eating, used to his prolonged yet annoying silence. My fork cut swiftly through the center, letting the yolk spill out. I couldn't help but to imagine that the yolk was Tom's head. While I was still looking at the mess of egg on my plate, I heard Tom place his fork down. He started his sentence with his mouth still filled with food. "Well," he swallowed quickly, "I've been working on a forgery of an official Ministry-ordered document allowing us within the premises. However, I doubt that it will get us very far. We might have to resort to more physical means of getting through. I'm almost finished, but I have to make another layer of spell protection…but I'm getting too detailed." Tom waved his hand around and continued. "Once I'm done, I'm somehow going to have to create replicas of the Selwyns' bodies. It is a bit difficult in the fact that they have to emit a small amount of life or happiness so that the Dementors will be fooled – for a while at least."

I caught his eye, impressed that he had done so much and thought so far ahead. I asked, "Is there anything I can do, my lord?"

He grabbed his chin with his long fingers and pretended to be thinking. "In fact, I do. Why don't you go and look for my diadem until I call you."

What a surprise. I nodded humbly, hoping he wouldn't chastise me for my mental sarcasm. It was unfair that he could read minds. He would be less angry at me all the time if he just kept to himself.

I looked at him again and his eyes were staring back, but his lips were pursed trying to control the small curl of his lips. I gave a soft humph in response to his apparent joy from making me go and search. I finished my breakfast and started clearing the plates from the table. I dumped the silverware into the sink and went back to the table to put away the salt and pepper. Tom was still sitting in his chair, watching me put the shakers away with an intense gaze. I swallowed nervously. Now that I was finished, I tried to dash away to the front door, but his grip caught my right forearm as I opened the door.

Tom flashed me one of his charismatic smiles and held onto me gentler. "I don't know why you complain Eva. Searching in the woods is one of the easiest jobs in the world. You don't even have to think about it."

I swallowed again, finding myself lost by his suddenly seductive voice and deep silver eyes. "I-I wasn't complaining." His grip tightened around my arm, and I felt the burn of the Mark. It hurt quite painfully. After hearing my yelp, Tom let go slowly, and I heard the shuffle of the chair against the dirt floor as he stood up. He placed his hand on my shoulder and looked at me seriously with a twitch of a smile on his lips.

"You can't lie to me Eva, don't you realize that?"

I numbly nodded, caught in his eyes like prey. I soon found my voice and said, "Searching is just so…incredibly and utterly boring. I'd rather spend my time here…with you," I whispered the last words, suddenly unable to keep my eyes locked with Tom's.

His hand dropped from my shoulder as he sighed. I still couldn't look at him for fear of being caught up in eyes, so I stared at the table next to us. His voice had become hard and impassive yet again. "I need to get back to work if we are going to Azkaban today. Clean up and do as you're told. I'll call you when we leave." He spun past me and walked quickly through the open door. I waited to leave, unable to slow my racing heart. Tom just loved getting me worked up, didn't he? He loved to toy with my emotions, but I just become more and more confused. Is his apparent attempts at seducing me real or was he trying to get a rise out of me? If they are real, does he just want my body or by some miracle, does he truly love me? There was no way for me to know, which drove me further into my fluttering insanity.

I walked outside, seeing that Tom had indeed gone into his study room, and I decided to check on my now hibernating garden. It had rained a lot last week, yet the garden was clearing up well. My winter plants were doing well also, to my pleasure. Meniscus, the goat, was grazing on what little vegetation he could get his mouth, while the chickens were roosting contently. Tom and I ate one of Henry's wives for Christmas dinner. I felt bad about killing her, but at the same time, I was overjoyed by Tom's compliments about the food. That was a lovely evening.

I had to march out of the protection boundary to be able to Apparate to the last spot I searched. As I walked, my thoughts teemed around how we were going to get through security at Azkaban. Tom had said something about a Ministry pass, but he also said something about it failing. Not knowing much about the prison, I wasn't sure if it was totally controlled by Dementors or if there were wizards guarding as well. I told myself, however, that there would have to be wizards, simply because Dementors are too stupid to organize a prison like Azkaban. It was where the whole world sent their worst criminals. And here I was, helping two of them get out. But Indus and Dorado weren't strangers. We regarded each other with a sort of fearful respect. They knew that Tom trusted me the most, and I knew that Tom found them to be the best lackeys.

Out of all of the Slytherins, the two boys were the only ones who truly enjoyed doing the evil that Tom sent them out to perform. If Tom had ordered Peter Avery to put a curse on another student, he would do it, possibly out of fear but more likely that he would gain respect from the Dark Lord. The Selwyn brothers were the only two that, if given the same task, would enjoy the process of hurting another student.

Respect and fear were the only things I could ever give to them.

Finally I made it to the border, and I Apparated. For the rest of the morning I wandered around aimlessly through the forest, half searching through the trees, half imagining what my life would have been like if my mother was alive. After a couple hours, the Mark began to burn on my arm. Quickly, I Disaparated to the border of our home and waited for Tom to come and get me. About ten minutes later he showed up and bade me silently to follow him. When we had made it within sight of our home he looked me over. "Go make us lunch and something to eat coming back." I nodded and went inside to scrounge up some food.

Once I had gathered a meager lunch of boiled eggs, salad, and some dried fruit for both of us in a basket, along with nuts and cheese for the way back, I made my way towards Tom, who was fiddling in his study with the door open. I knocked, and he swiveled around to look at me. Immediately he jammed a broom into my hand and commanded, "Get on, but don't take off."

I obeyed and floated on my broom sidesaddle with the basket in my lap watching him pull a large, human sized sack of something very heavy. He dragged it over to where I was and tried to heave it onto my broom. I had to help him balance it to where I wouldn't flip over. We were both grunting, and I huffed when we finally got the sack onto my broom. It lay behind me, so I had to turn around to investigate it properly. As I picked at the sackcloth, I saw out of the corner of my eye Tom trying to get a second sack onto his floating broom. I wanted to laugh at him, but I wasn't in the mood to have curses flying towards me. Or be left at home.

Once Tom had the bag situated, I couldn't help but ask him, "What, exactly, are these things?"

He looked up at me, his eyebrows raised quizzically. "These things are what we will replace the Selwyns with."

"What were they originally?"

Tom sighed as if he was tired of the interrogation. "They were the potato sacks from the potatoes you picked this year."

"These are my potatoes?" I grabbed a piece of the sackcloth as if I would ignorantly recognize them to be my potatoes once I touched it. "Tom, what are we going to eat for the rest of winter?"

He gave me an angry stare. "Will you stop worrying about trivial matters? I need to go inside and grab something, and then we'll go."

I gave a sigh and watched as he marched towards his study door. I hooked the basket handle onto the front part of my broom shaft, since I wasn't about to sit with it on my lap the whole time. It was less than a minute before Tom came back out. I noticed a black, leather bag strapped across his chest as he climbed onto the broom. Wordlessly he took off into the sky, and I followed. The potato sacks definitely weighed the both of us down, making the brooms slower, despite the capacity charm Tom put on the brooms. We were quiet, and I decided to spend my time watching the scenery change. There was snow all atop the mountains while the forests below stayed green. The sea started to fade away behind me. I enjoyed watching the spiraling smoke stacks from the villages. It made me feel less alone in the world. After what seemed to be almost an hour of silence, and floating behind Tom, I decided to speed my broom up and strike up a conversation. "So…why couldn't we have just shrunken these things?"

Lord Voldemort sighed, showing his disturbance at the idea of having to converse with me about such trivial things. "It is because I have infused them with particles of life that should fade away into oblivion after a few months. If I were to shrink them, the life source it contains would simply vanish. Where would we be then Eva?"

I hated the way he made me feel so ignorant. "I'm sorry for asking, my lord," I said in a not very sorry tone.

There was more awkward silence as we flew through the cold air. Thankfully, I had worn a coat, gloves, and warm hat out into the forest, so I wasn't as chilled as I could have been. The wind bit at my nose and made my eyes tear, even though Tom had put up charms to lesson it. I hoped that Azkaban wasn't too far away.

Tom answering my unannounced question told me, "We'll be there in about twelve hours."

"Twelve hours!" That was ridiculous. It was half a day. We would spend a whole twenty-four hours flying. I did not prepare myself for this long of a trip. "We can't go any faster?"

Tom didn't answer me, and I couldn't help but whisper incredulously under my breath, "Twelve hours?" I glanced up at him to see if he had even heard me. Tom was staring in a completely different direction than I was flying. It almost seemed as if he was trying very hard not to even look at me. A sudden wind picked up right at the time I was going to ask my question again. I yelled, "Tom! We can't go any faster?"

The breeze shook my hair around my face, so all I could see was his outline. His hair was blowing wildly too. He turned back to me, and I heard him yell out to me. My ears were filled with only the whooshing sounds of wind. I shielded my eyes and tried to see why it was so windy all of a sudden. I grimaced when I realized we were headed into a storm. I whipped my head to see what Tom wanted me to do, but the clouds had appeared out of nowhere. It was as bad as fog, but even wetter; I could only see a one foot diameter around me. Suddenly, an arm extended from out of the nothingness and grabbed onto the front part of my broom.

Tom's form emerged from the clouds. He was trying to yell instructions at me, but I couldn't hear him. However, I could read his lips: "Fly higher." I obeyed, although he still held onto my broom. He kept himself close to me, and I could feel our legs bumping into each other because of the wind. It felt like we were constantly flying in circles despite the fact I knew we were flying at an upward angle. Then the clouds became lighter and white colored. The fluff slowly disappeared, and I felt the warm sun on my skin.

I grinned at Tom as he let my broom go and glided a couple yards away. In a normal voice I told him, "Thanks for saving me."

He let out a small laugh. "Save you from the weather? You thank me for the strangest things."

I shuddered from the dampness of my clothes. Tom instinctively pulled out his wand and performed a drying charm on me and his own clothes. I felt better instantly.

"Tom, you never answered my question. Can't we just go faster? I doubt you and I could spend twelve hours with each other doing nothing but flying without driving each other mental."

He titled his head towards me, and gave me a superior look. "Do you know how fast we're going now?"

It wasn't fair how he tried to answer my question with a question of his own. "No."

"Then you don't need to tell me how fast we should be going. There are a lot of effects from the speed that I am preventing us from feeling. If you wanted to judge how fast we are actually going and then try and tell me how to fly, I could easily arrange it," Tom said as he aimed his wand towards me with an evil smirk.

"No, no! I apologize for trying to tell you what to do. It won't happen again."

Tom tucked his wand away and rolled his head around, trying to pop his neck. "You keep saying that, but you never stop trying to control me."

"My lord! I'm not trying to be controlling. I'm just trying to point out ways to be more efficient." I didn't think I was bossy at all. I just felt, at sometimes, Tom missed obvious ways to conserve his energy. But he saw it as interfering.

He was still smirking as he turned his gaze away from me towards the expansion of clouds in front of us. "More efficient," he repeated. He looked back at me again, his smile gone replaced with a contemplative face. "What would I do without your valuable insight?"

Knowing he was being sarcastic, I smirked and replied, "I don't know. Live a better life?"

"Probably," he mused, "but it would be less pleasant."

A silence hushed itself over us as I relished the light air around me and the warmness of the close sun. Tom flew perfectly straight while I zigzagged above and below him. He probably thought I was showing off, but I wasn't. I was enjoying this freedom. I felt weightless, as if I wasn't human; I had become a part of the sky itself.

Tom woke me out of my dream like state. "Talk to me." I had closed my eyes during my floating adventure, but I opened them as I was shocked by what Tom said. He looked back at me, and repeated himself.

"Talk to you about…what?"

He waved his hand around airily. "It doesn't matter."

"Well, all right." I thought of something I could ask, but my mind kept going towards questions about his family, which pretty much was a dangerous subject. I had only talked about it with him once, the night of our first encounter with the vampires, and he acted as if I was stabbing him with needles with every question. But his family was the only thing I really didn't know about him. I think it held the answers to many of my questions: one being why he boasts he would never love.

I tried to dance around the subject by asking, "What does your name mean? I know Tom is a pretty common name, but I was just curious why you were named Tom."

I could sense he immediately regretted making me talk. Seeing his body language turn cold, I decided he wouldn't reply. So I was a bit taken aback when he answered. "My mother named me that, after my father. Marvolo was her father's name."

I jumped at the chance to continue the conversation. "Which do you like better? Tom or Marvolo?"

"I like Voldemort better."

"That wasn't an option," I frowned at him, grabbing the front of my broom tighter as I sped past him.

"It's an anagram, you know."

I glanced back at him, letting my now long hair flip around. "What is?"

He sped his broom up to catch up to me and gave me a tight smile. He licked his lips and then said, "I am Lord Voldemort."

I gave a nervous chuckle, trying to understand what he was explaining to me. "Yes…you are."

Tom gave out a barking laugh, smiling at me. "You can be so dense," he said through his laughter. "My name, Tom Marvolo Riddle, is an anagram for 'I am Lord Voldemort'." I gave him a skeptical look, yet knowing full well my lack of grammar and spelling skills. Those spell-checking quills saved my life at Hogwarts. Once Tom had stopped his laughter, he pulled out his wand from the bag he had strapped across his chest. The words 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' snaked out of his wand in a green smoke and flew in the air, speeding along with us as if we were standing still. I looked to Tom, and he gave me a playful smile, flicking his wand around. The words in the air rearranged themselves, slow enough for me to follow, into 'I Am Lord Voldemort'.

I let myself giggle at my own idiocy. But I felt I also had to tease Tom. "You sure had a lot of time on your hands at Hogwarts to come up with that, and a spell too!"

Tom tucked his wand back into the bag and answered me, "When classes are a breeze and you find friendships a waste of time, you tend to dedicate yourself to other activities."

I swayed a little closer to Tom, giving a half questioning smile. "And what do those activities include? Thinking all day about what evil name you want to have when you grew up? Or was it trying to woo all the girls (and some professors) in the school with your handsome face and your charming demure?"

Now it was Tom's turn to roll his eyes. "Please, I did not woo anyone and neither was I trying. I didn't woo you either; you are just abnormal."

"Oh I'm very abnormal. But there was quite a lot of gossip my second year that you and the Zabini girl had a fling."

He looked at me with his eyebrows high up in his forehead, his mouth slightly open. Even with a shocked expression on his face, he was still utterly good looking. But I needed to ignore that for now. "You really believe that I would go after Zabini? First of all, she followed me, not the other way around. And the only reason she started those lies was because I threatened to tell all her new friends that she wasn't truly pureblood, as she had tried to claim. I knew she was Muggle-born from the sight of her. But there was never any fling."

I tried to hold my laughter in, finding it so strange to hear Tom argue about some school drama. I accidentally let out a small snort, imagining teenager Tom telling off Shmi Zabini. She had moved from Africa with her older brother and was a coffee-skinned, lovely girl one year above me. However, in the beginning of our first couple of years, she assumed she was the queen bee. Her popularity rose even higher after she spilled those lies about her and Tom. It was when Tom's meetings became top priority did the girl slip onto the sidelines.

"What does your name mean? Eva?"

"My mother named me that – she said it meant 'life.' I was her life, she used to say. But, ultimately, I suppose I am the life-taker. She should have named me death." I let out a dry laugh, but tried to gain my composure. "Amora, however, was my grandmother's name. She was Aunt H's sister. She died before I was born; which was actually why I was born. My mother didn't have the courage to openly admit her relationship with a Muggle until her mother had passed away. I sometimes wonder if I would have been here if my grandmother didn't die young."

Tom, despite the fact he could have easily read my mind for the answer, looked at me with real curiosity and asked, "How old was she when she died?"

"Sixty, I believe. Everyone claimed it was because of a broken heart caused by my grandfather's death a year earlier. Very romantic, yet tragic all the same."

A cool rush of wind caught me off guard. We were still above the clouds, but the storm seemed to have subdued itself but below us was a floor of grey clouds with ground peeking through here and there. The breeze ended and Tom continued the conversation. "Would you want your romance to be tragic?"

I turned my head to stare at him with a simple look. "It already is."

He made a face, telling me I gave him the wrong answer. "If you weren't chasing after me. If I didn't exist."

"If you didn't exist," I whispered to myself. If Tom didn't exist, where would I be? Probably stuck in London, working some menial job at Diagon Alley. Rockwood would probably still be after me, but would I hate it as much? Sigh, yes I would. But I would most likely stay with him. That would certainly be a tragedy but not a romance. I don't believe I could ever feel the way I feel about Tom towards anyone else. He was so special to me: if he didn't exist, I probably wouldn't either.

"If you didn't exist, Tom Riddle, I wouldn't want a romance at all. I either live with you or I don't live at all. You or nothing."

He laughed without smiling. "I hope you enjoy nothing."

I flew closer to him, trying to catch his beautiful grey eyes. "I wouldn't know. I have you now." I unconsciously smiled at him, happy with the truth of my words.

Tom started to rummage through his bag, obviously done with our conversation. He pulled out a book that was small in size yet thick in pages. He handed it over to me like it was garbage to take out. I grabbed it from him, stroking the cover, watching the title words fly around. The hardcover was dyed red, and the words "Magnetic Magic: An Empty Heart" written in gold fluttered across the book. "What is this?"

"A book, obviously."

I looked at him seriously as he burrowed through the bag again, probably to pull out a book of his own. "But why this book?"

I saw him shrug. "I just picked it up. It looked like something you would read, about love and the like. If you don't want it, I'll kindly take it back from you," he said not so kindly.

I grabbed the red book to my chest, as if he was going to pry it away from me. "No, it's just fine. Thank you my lord."

I flipped through the first pages, slightly watching Tom pull out a much larger book with a banded leather cover. He had to speak a spell to open it properly. He didn't seem like he was in a good mood anymore, so I decided to keep my questions about that book to myself. As I read the first couple of sentences of my own, I realized this was not some sort of novel. A wizard, the author, had gone out to evaluate all of the Dark Arts and the wizards behind them to find what makes it so, as he put it, "magnetic."

"It is as if the words 'Dark Arts' has in themselves an embedded charm which, to the reader or the listener, makes themselves either fearful or attracted. The road one takes towards the pull does not matter. What lies in both the fear and attraction is the curiosity behind it. The Dark Arts is a world of unknown, and that is what causes us wizards pursue almost all of our efforts into it."

The author's writing style kept me engaged the entire time. Although he treated the Dark Arts like it was something of great importance, he was not necessarily a dark wizard. I felt his words to be very unbiased, which was refreshing compared to Tom's incessant love of all things dark magic. The first chapter explained what the Dark Arts were and the many myths around how they came about.

"No one expert is entirely devoted to one or all of these explanations for how the Arts originated. However, we do agree that in a time long ago, there was no separation of magic. I believe that even in this day, the line that separates the 'normal' magic and that of the Dark Arts can be and is very much blurred. For example, two sorts of wizards are allowed the use of the killing curse with very little to no consequences: Aurors and Dark Wizards; two very different ends of our social spectrum. And yet they are free to wield the deadliest curse known to man, (understanding that the 'punishment' that Dark Wizards can receive is easily avoidable if they are knowledgeable in their craft.)"

The second chapter delved into creatures of the Dark Arts. It was almost four times as long as the first chapter, but it was quite more fascinating. He discussed why there were certain "good" animals and certain "evil" ones. He explained that his theory about the magnetic curiosity of the Dark Arts is what contributes to the way we view those creatures: the ones we understand fully, their actions clear with meaning, are dubbed as good; whereas the creatures that do harm with no pure motive behind it boggle our minds and thus placed under the evil category.

I stopped reading after his quick discussion about how Dementors were a perfect example of the reasons why we do our unconscious categorization. I started thinking about our goal for the day. Tom had made all the plans, but I was very clueless about the whole ordeal. He was flying a good twenty feet away from me very into his own book.

"My lord?" I called out. He turned his head slightly, indicating he had heard me. I flew faster to be next to him. "My lord, you have not informed me on what exactly the plan is for tonight. I think it best if I was informed, at least on what my part is."

Tom snapped his leather bound book shut, shoving it in his bag, and gave me an "are-you-happy-now?" look. "I was going to tell you later, but with you, I suppose it's better to constantly bombard you with the idea." He ignored my perturbed face. "The first part is going to dictate how well we can accomplish the second. You and I are going to arrive to the entrance. There will be, if my assumptions are correct, two wizards, well trained I might add, guarding the entrance. You are going to say nothing while I hand them the warrant I created. Of course, that's just to distract them long enough for you to blast the bigger one. I'll handle the smaller one."

"Why do I have to deal with the big one? You're taller than me."

"The bigger one is always slower, believe me. He will be no match to a well prepared stun spell." Tom cleared his throat, and then continued. "After we have them incapacitated, you guard them, making sure they don't wake up, and I'll get the brothers. I'll also stop by to make arrangements with the head Dementor. Let's hope to Merlin that no Ministry officials decide to visit tonight as well."

For the next nine or so hours, the two of us would talk sporadically, read our books, or just stare off into the sky. We were able to finish the small lunch I made as well, and decided to keep the snack for the return back. Tom had repeated the plan, and also made me recite it back to him, quite enough times. We were hoping for no problems tonight. Once we reached the Baltic Sea, I was much more tired than I had expected. The sea was dark and dreary, waves crashing high, and the smell of a storm on the horizon. It was an omen; but whether it was good or bad, I couldn't tell. I followed Tom as we lowered our brooms towards the ocean. The salty, wet air sprayed my face.

I looked to Tom, and I found him already staring at me. He yelled over the crashing of the waves, "Azkaban should be within our sights relatively soon. Can you maneuver a quick cloaking spell on your sack?"

I pulled out my now damp wand from the pocket of my coat and looked at the potato sack laying behind me. I turned back to Tom and nodded. "I believe so," I yelled back.

He nodded as well, and turned to cast his own spell. I followed the gesture and the sacks disappeared. In the next moment, a black fortress appeared a couple miles away in the distance. The closing in storm didn't help me feel any better. I heard Tom yell at me again, "Eva? Do you think you can make a Patronus?"

I made an exasperated noise that he couldn't have heard. "Well…I'm not exactly sure."

His eyes were frowning, "Just try Eva."

I glared at him. Why couldn't he make his own? Wand still in hand, I yelled out, trying to imagine very, very happy memories, "Expecto Patronum!"

To my surprise, and Tom's, a small, silvery mongoose eased its way out of my wand. The little creature whirled around my head then decided to cling onto the broom. I laughed at it. Tom's face was pleased. "Here," he said to me, handing me the bag that he held around his shoulder the duration of the flight, "Wear this for me." I obeyed, throwing around my own shoulders.

We were almost fifty feet away from the building when I saw a part of the fortress' black walls jumble apart like building blocks. It made a perfect opening for Tom and me to fly into. We landed on black stone flooring. In fact, everything was fashioned out of one giant onyx stone. The opening was a few feet taller than us. We were in some sort of dimly lit hallway. At least it was dryer than it was flying over the ocean. My heels clicked on the stone as we walked further. The stone entrance scraped and closed behind us. There was no light source, yet I could see things as clear as an overcast day. We continued walking, letting our brooms float next to us with the invisible sacks. Then the hallway opened to a bridge, created out of the same stone. On the other side was a landing with two very large doors carved into the inner fortress.

Tom made me walk in front of him as we crossed over the narrow bridge in the huge expansion. The roof of the ceiling seemed to extend into nothing, too high for me to imagine. Underneath the bridge was utter blackness; I became somewhat frightened of falling off since it was only a few feet wide. My mongoose strode confidently in front of me. As we eased our way into across the bridge, I saw the two guards that Tom warned me about standing on each side of the doors. A rush of cold swept across me. Although I did have my Patronus, there must have been too many Dementors here to prevent the side-effects. I stumbled a bit but caught myself before anything dangerous happened. I either slowed down or Tom read my fear, because he placed a hand on my shoulder, pushing me forward.

Soon, I was able to distinguish between the two guards and also see their Patronuses. The larger one, which was my target, was a man made more of muscle than anything else. He might have been almost forty or so with salt and pepper hair. He held a staff in his hand, probably a super-wand of some sorts, while the shape of a silver gorilla patrolling around him. The other guard, Tom's target, was also fit, but not as buff as the gorilla man. He had sandy hair and beady eyes and was also holding a staff. An eagle Patronus was resting on his shoulder, flapping its wings at us. Neither of them seemed pleased to see us.

As we walked upon the landing, Tom still behind me, they held out their staffs to block the door. "Halt!" commanded the smaller one. "By orders from the Ministry of Magic, only those with proper authorization are allowed upon the premises!"

Tom slide his way past me, flashing one of his oh-so charming smiles at the both of them. "My apologies. Here is the documentation you require. I am here on behalf of Tiberius Ogden of the Wizengamot to interview the two Selwyn boys."

The announcer grabbed the document Tom had forged earlier this morning and searched over. The muscular man demanded, "I need to look through your bags ma'am." I gave him Tom's leather bag and my basket, hoping that he wouldn't detect the invisible potato sacks.

We heard the fair-haired man with the certificate mumble, "This is strange. Second person today to come and see those men." I nervously went back to watching the large one say, "Aparecium," inside the bags to reveal anything we had hidden. I tried not to glance back at the brooms in case I would appear guilty looking.

Tom replied good-naturedly to the other guard, "I wouldn't be surprised. The Ministry departments never seem to communicate with each other. I've sent a couple of memo's myself to complain about double visitations. Still, I'm just following orders."

The large one had finished his searching and handed the basket and bag back to me. He still frowning at us, unsure of our presence while the fair-haired man was nodding agreeably to the document. He relaxed and handed the paperwork back to Tom. "Indus Selwyn is on floor 2, block C, room 10. Dorado Selwyn is on floor 1, block B, room 7. Wait, let me check on that." The man pulled out a long piece of parchment out of his robes. While he did so, I placed the back and basket onto the brooms and silently checked to make sure the bags were still invisible. The guard began mumbling, "Selwyn. Selwyn. Here, yes Indus is on floor 2, block C, room 10 but Dorado is on floor 7, block B, room 1 – I mixed up the numbers. Do you know you're way there? You look new."

The large man spoke, "I've never seen him before." Suddenly, his face glared suspiciously at Tom. "Where's your Patronus?"

My wide-eyed look caught Tom's nonchalant apperance. In the blink of an eye, I turned towards the thick man and yelled out "Stupify!" The red flash coming from my wand caught him off guard and knocked him to the ground, his staff clattering to the floor. At the same time, I heard Tom scream out, "Incarcerous Alarte!" I heard a muffled scream from the other man and spun around to see what Tom had done. The other guard was silently screaming as snakes wrapped themselves around his whole body. The more he squirmed, the tighter they coiled. Then I heard shuffling back where I had blasted the other man and saw my mongoose fighting with the other animals. Tom pointed his wand at the other two silvery creatures and destroyed them.

As quickly as we could, I helped Tom drag the two, now visible, sacks off the brooms and towards the doors. My mongoose flittered around me, almost eager to help but knowing he couldn't all the same. Tom placed both hands on the door frame, his wand in one, and whispered some incomprehensible spell. A clunking sound came from inside, and then the doors, like building blocks, shuffled themselves away. A blast of cold whooshed its way out. Moans and cries could be heard from the depths, and I became nervous. Even my Patronus couldn't stop the small amounts of fear trickling into me.

Tom cast the anti-Dementor spell we used before, and it was strange for me to be on the outside of it. It was like peering into a tinted window; I couldn't tell Tom's form very well, but I could still see his body moving around. Two catches of light appeared inside, and I saw the sacks transform into human bodies. Then Tom dragged the two dummies inside the inner hallway. He should have just used a floating charm, but I assumed he was too afraid that he might damage his life-casting spell. As he faded away down the hall, the massive doors stacked back up again, leaving me stuck in the outer hall with one unconscious guard, another one choking to death, and the silver mongoose.

"I doubt my lord would want you to die, so why don't we just let you go to sleep for now?" I told the choking guard. He tried to shake his head but it was no use as the snake wrapped tighter around his neck. "Stupify!" As he slunk to the floor, the large snakes peeled off of him and slithered towards me. I jumped around them as they crawled down the side of the cliff into the deep abyss below.

I had been waiting already fifteen minutes, and Tom still wasn't back. I had decided to sit on the floor with my knees to my chest between the two guards; my eyes switched back and forth between the two, knowing my stunning spells could wear off any minute. The mongoose simply flitted around, exploring the area. A couple times, he let me touch him, if only for a second. It felt very tingly. But I was growing impatient; something that I should never grow since it leads to either anger or worriment. This time, I was edging towards worry. Either something went wrong with Tom or he was taking his precious time.

The larger guard suddenly caught my attention as he fidgeted on the floor. I pointed my wand at him and cried, "Stupify!" I heard his head hit the wall with a crack. Perhaps I was saying the spell a little too hard.

Almost forty minutes had past and I was fretting. Our brooms were lying on the floor next to me. I had rolling them around in utter boredom, watching as my mongoose would hop over them. Between that and reading a few pages out of my book, I nervously listened for any sound of the door. Finally, I heard a clunk from the doors behind me. I pushed myself off the floor, grabbing the brooms in my hand as the doors slowly disappeared block by block into the walls. The Patronus soared around my head. Tom's protection spell was gone, and I saw his thin figure balance two other men on either side. The screams and darkness followed them as they emerged. Once his face became clearer, I could see he was less than happy having to bear most of their weight. However, once the three men were past the doorways, the Selwyn brothers seemed to have gained back their own strength.

It had been almost six years since I had seen either of them. Dorado, the older one, had become much brawnier than I remembered. To my surprise, I was almost a hair taller than him. His face had become harsher than it was during his school days. His dark hair had grown out to his shoulders, and he was unshaven. His eyes looked greedy as he realized he was finally free.

His brother, on the other hand, looked genuinely happy to simply be away from the Dementors. He had changed much more than Dorado. Indus lacked the mischievous look he always had at Hogwarts. It seemed in his years gone, he had matured somewhat. He was taller than both Tom and I, probably standing six feet or so. His straw colored hair was disheveled, but not as long as Dorado's. He seemed to be much thinner and paler than his brother. Azkaban had treated him much worse it seemed.

As I was overlooking the Selwyn brothers, I saw Tom crouching over the guards one at a time and pointing his wand to their foreheads, whispering something to each of them. He was modifying their memories so that they would not be able to describe who broke in. In fact, I believe he was making the story that we had never arrived. If everything went according to plan, which I was sure it would, the two potato sacks, which would seem to a Dementor or a human's untrained eye to be the Selwyn brothers, would eventually "die". Their "bodies" would be thrown out, and it would be like Indus and Dorado never existed.

As the brothers were realizing they were free from the horrors of Dementors, Tom walked over to me. "My lord, you took longer than expected. Did everything go according to plan?"

His eyes were dark, yet satisfied when he looked at me. "I had a difficult time finding the head Dementor. When I did find it, it seemed to be expecting me. Overall I believe it was impressed with the effort I made." I nodded in understanding as he grabbed the brooms from my hands. He started marching down the bridge and waved for the three of us to follow. I threw Tom's leather bag around my chest and held onto the basket of food in my hands. I let the brothers follow Tom before me, and as Dorado passed me he caught my eyes. He peered at me like I was the only woman he had ever seen before. It was a lecherous look. I frowned back at him, half wanting to hide from his glare and the other half wanting to hex him.

After walking carefully over the bridge and silently through the tunnel, we reached the end. The stone blocks jumbled open revealing the dark sky above and the grey ocean below. The storm I had seen almost an hour ago was now right above us. We were still protected by the fortress so the rain did no soak us. However the platform in front was being beaten by wind and rain, and an arctic wind blew through us and ran its way down the tunnel behind. Tom spoke loudly enough for them to hear over the thunder and waves, "It would be safest for both you to come with us instead of return to England. I would suggest you not go back until a year has been completed." They both nodded in response.

Tom continued, "I'm going to Apparate us back. I'll take you one at a time because cross-continent Apparating can result in splinching if there are too many parties." Tom was being modest since, in general, most wizards couldn't even do cross-country Apparating. He grabbed Dorado's arm first and with a loud pop they disappeared. Indus and I stayed quiet. He was looking into the ocean like it was a beautiful painting, admiring it from different angles. Watching him made me realize that I never wanted to be sent to Azkaban.

Tom returned with a crack, looking even more tired than before. He touched Indus's shoulder, and they Disapparated. I was by myself for much longer than I had been before. Almost five minutes had gone by and I was becoming worried. What if the guards woke up and Tom's memory charm hadn't worked? Was Tom too tired to come back? Didn't he know I couldn't Apparate to the cabin because of his Anti-Apparating charm?

After another minute of pure panic as I tried to think of what to do, I heard the comforting sound of Tom appearing in front of me. His handsome face was the most tired I had seen. It must take a lot of energy to keep Apparating back and forth. Wordlessly he touched my arm lightly and my surroundings were disappearing as we were squeezed to our destination by magic.

This time we landed in the main house. Indus was already lying down on the couch while Dorado was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table. Tom walked past me and fell into the bed, dead tired. He didn't even take off his shoes. Although I was very pleased to be home, we had never entertained guests before. "You have anything to eat?" came Dorado's raspy voice. I looked at him, and his made me feel exposed. I turned quickly so he wouldn't see me blush. It was not a blush like how Tom made me feel – quite opposite in fact. I really did not like the fact that we four would be sleeping here tonight, or this morning.

I quickly made some eggs and while they were cooking I handed him our snack of cheese and nuts. He devoured them within minutes, while Indus and Tom were fast asleep. Dorado saw that I only used two eggs and he demanded, "Six eggs – I'm starving!" After I cooked enough to his liking, I placed the overflowing plate of eggs in front of Dorado and went over to the bed. However he caught my arm in his thick, rough hand. I pulled away from him, but he held on tighter. "Who are you?" he asked in an interested yet gruff voice.

"I'm Eva – Eva Smith. You don't remember me?"

His eyebrows raised, and his face looked incredulous. He continued talking to me. "You have really grown Eva. Last time we saw you, you were still a bony little girl. But now look at you!" he laughed darkly. "You are actually a woman." Though his words may have been complimenting, I felt nothing but shivers go down my back. I didn't want him talking to me like that, and I turned myself around and walked towards the bed.

I heard him laugh louder. Then it turned into a chuckle as he began eating the eggs. I reached for my pajamas in a hurry then made my way into the bathroom before Dorado could talk to me further. I took a long bath although I was very tired. I just wanted to make sure that Dorado would be asleep by the time I exited.

I finally felt brave enough to exit after being in the bathroom for almost thirty minutes. As I slowly opened the door, the house was dark and it seemed like everyone was asleep. Dorado had found some blankets and was currently snoring at the foot of the sofa. I went over to the bed and gently pushed Tom over to give me room. He was still in deep sleep, so he just grunted and rolled over to his side. I let my head fall on to the pillow and within seconds I was fast asleep.


	21. January 12, 1949

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the Azkaban escape. Tom and Eva end up alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the one you guys have been waiting for. Thanks for being patient :)

Albaina  
(1947-1957)

January 12, 1949

Henry the rooster, of all mornings, decided to practice his call at the first light of dawn. Although I was usually a much heavier sleeper than Tom, I was startled awake by the rooster's cry. I heard a deep moan and a few snores come over where the couch was and I remembered last night's escapade where we had broken the Selwyn brothers out of Azkaban.

I closed my eyes and tossed and turned to find a comfortable spot, but I could not. I was frustrated that, although feeling very tired, I could not fall back asleep. I didn't feel quiet as exhausted as I had last night, but it was still difficult to get up. I quietly made my way to the front door to begin my outside morning chores. I most definitely did not want to work in the house in case Dorado woke up, and I would have to be alone with him again.

By the time I was finished outside, the sun had risen over the mountain tops and I was hungry for breakfast. Slowly I opened the door, trying not to wake anyone up. However, Dorado was already sitting in the chair at the table watching me enter. Indus was still asleep on the couch, though he was snoring terribly loud. Tom, as well, was asleep, which was surprising since I had never once seen him sleep in. The ordeal last night must have been very tiring for him.

"What's for breakfast love?" Dorado asked in his low, rough voice.

"Eggs and potatoes, if you like," I replied, as calm as possible. I turned away from him and started to gather the food when I heard his chair brush against the floor. I froze slightly, becoming nervous by his actions. Why couldn't he just stay in his seat?

I stood up and saw him walking next to me. We were in front of the sink with the window behind it letting in the bright rays of morning. He looked even worse from last night. "I'm pretty hungry," he said in a low voice that almost sounded amused.

"Are you? Well, like I said I'm making eggs and potatoes. It's all I have for now." I tried to act as casual as possible and not let him know I was a bit afraid of him. I had my wand in my night robe pocket so at least I could protect myself if need be. Prison certainly made him much scarier than how I remembered him at Hogwarts.

He laughed throatily and walked closer to me. He cornered me up to the countertops then said close to my face, "I'm not hungry for food love."

That was enough, I thought. I pulled out my wand and pointed it at his face.

"If you speak like that again to me, I will blow your nose off."

He inched his way closer, laughing darkly. "Don't be like that. I'm only having some fun. 'Sides, I just thought you might have gotten bored of Tom and wanted to be with a real man."

After he finished, a spell shot out of my wand, and we both heard a nasty, fleshy sound come from his face while he let out a pained cry. Dorado's left eye and cheek became covered in blood, and he clutched his face. "Fucking little slut!" he yelled at me.

I meant to shoot at his nose, but I guess my aim really was terrible. He pulled his hands off of his eye and felt around where the wound was. I had cursed off all of the flesh around his eyebrow, so just the red muscle underneath showed. The blood continued to flow freely and Dorado's mouth continued to flow curses at me.

By now, Tom and Indus had both woken up, startled by the incident. Tom almost ran over to me to see what our encounter was about. I briefly explained, "Dorado was not acting like an appropriate guest, so I took things into my own hands." I was confident in myself, and Tom could find the truth if he searched either one of our minds.

Indus, knowing his brother, did not seem upset at me in the slightest. He looked over at Dorado with a face of slight empathy yet a knowing look, as if he had unfortunately predicted a circumstance like this would happen. "Let's have a look at it brother," Indus said calmly, as he tried to pry off his brother's hands to see the wound. When he saw the missing eyebrow he simply made an "hm" sound.

Tom went into the bathroom, probably to get one of our healing potions. Indus tried to cast a few healing spells on the gash, but nothing was working. The entire time, Dorado stared at me with such intensity that I couldn't bear to look back. I most definitely did not want to help him, so I busied myself with making everyone breakfast. After searching and searching for the potatoes, I finally remembered that Tom had left them in the brothers' cells. But I did found out that I had a bit of flour, sugar, goat milk and eggs, so I made us all a batch of hotcakes.

By the time I was done, Tom and Indus had patched up Dorado's wound with some gauze and potion and wiped off most of the blood, but it looked like the skin wasn't going to grow back properly. Internally I was very proud of myself for being able to hurt someone like a Selwyn brother, since they were so notorious. Outwardly I was wearing a mask of indifference – hopefully one to rival Tom's.

I placed a large plate of hotcakes on the table and realized there were only two chairs and four people. After grabbing two cakes, I decided to sit on the couch. Dorado and Indus slowly sat down in the chairs. Tom took a plateful and sat next to me on the couch. Then he began to talk to the brothers in between bites. "Like I said yesterday, it would be best for you to stay out of Britain for a while. Although the Ministry is not currently looking for you, there is a chance that they might be. Also don't write to anyone – family, friends, employers. No one. I will be your new employer. For now, I know of a place in Italy you can reside until either your fake bodies die in Azkaban or the Ministry realizes you have escaped. Once either of those events has happened, I will contact you." A silence fell upon the four of us, and we continued to eat.

After what seemed to be a few minutes, Tom broke the silence with a bark, "Enough!" The brothers and I promptly turned to look at Tom since his voice was startling. Tom continued. "That is quite enough Dorado. I believe you can leave now."

We were all confused by Tom – what had Dorado done that only Tom noticed? But Voldemort's eyes were dark as he glared at older Selwyn brother.

Dorado became livid as he stood up. "Me? I haven't done anything! I'm the one who got their bloody eyebrow cursed off! It's her who should be leaving."

Tom frowned slightly, and spoke in a rather cool tone. "I know what thoughts lie in your head Dorado. Frankly, I wouldn't care what awful things you imagine or envision, except when they happen to include Ms. Smith."

"What's it to you then what I think about her? Is she your girl, is that it? She must be something else in bed then for the great Tom Riddle to be after her. For a while, we thought you swung the other way in Hogwarts since you never seemed keen on the ladies."

Tom had heard enough. He pulled out his wand and muttered, "Crucio."

Dorado was soon on the floor, convulsing with too much pain to even scream. Indus watched in frightened horror as his brother's large body started to spasm. Then a high scream finally burst through his lungs. Indus and I had to cover our ears. Tom had a satisfied smile on his face. As the screaming continued, Tom said in a calm voice, "If you had been wise, you would have changed the way you spoke to me.

Then Tom crouched over Dorado's writing and screaming body, holding the wand upon him that continued to inflict pain. Tom's grin became even larger and looked at Dorado like he was some interesting insect. "You somehow enjoy this, don't you? Otherwise, I have no idea why you would insist on annoying me. But no matter: if you don't enjoy it, I know I certainly do. It's been a while since I've had a good form of entertainment."

Indus was glued to his seat, wanting to shut his eyes yet unable to turn away from the two men. Dorado had deserved it, but neither Indus nor I expect Tom to show such pleasure from it. Dorado's eyes were rolling back, and his scream kept getting louder. He clawed at his own skin, as if it was the thing causing him pain. Tom chuckled, watching him squirm. But it seemed like Tom finally had enough. He flicked his wand at Dorado and the man ceased his screaming. However, his body kept convulsing, trying to regain his strength from the ordeal.

Immediately Indus knelt in front of Tom and said, "Lord Voldemort – I apologize for my brother. Azkaban was hard on him, he didn't mean what he said… or-or thought."

Suddenly a deep chuckle came from Dorado's still body. The sound became louder as the older brother pushed himself slowly off the floor. "Now," he said with a hoarse voice, "that came from someone who deserves the name 'Lord Voldemort'." He continued a deep laughter as he held onto the chair next to him to stand. "I've been cursed a few times, but it's never been anything close to that powerful. You win this time – I'll go."

Tom evilly smiled as he watched Dorado, still laughing, exit the front door. After the door slammed shut, Tom turned back to Indus, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said pleasantly, "I do hope you can find your brother. I like him, but he needs to learn to be more controlled."

Indus, slightly shaken, returned to his seat while Tom took the other empty one. Tom said, "Like I said, I have a safe house for you in Italy. I will put you in contact with an acquaintance who can set you up with income. Orsino Amani is his name. He, like you, comes from a long line of purebloods, so I assume you will get along fine."

Then Tom sighed and made a slightly unhappy face. "It's a shame that you had to be caught Indus. Now I don't have a mole in England anymore."

Indus cleared his throat and said, "Yes, well, I do apologize for that. But you have been getting my letters then?" Tom nodded curtly. "Yes, well, then you know that rumor has gotten around that it was you and her at Macnair's wedding." Hearing those words, I immediately regretted telling Norma who I was. I was so sure that it was her that couldn't keep the secret. But then I thought about Rookwood and how he knew. Either way, it somehow was my fault. Yet Tom's attitude did not change as Indus continued.

"So I know I haven't sent anything in a while, but I do have some news. I meant to tell you this sooner, but, obviously, we were found out and taken –"

"Spit it out," Tom said impatiently.

"Yes, well, Walburga Black wants to invite you to one of her soirées. She does something every goddamned month, but I don't know when the next one is. I'm not much help right now, but she seems very keen on getting to know Lord Voldemort."

Tom nodded understandingly and began to think on Indus's words. After we had all finished eating, Tom stood up and announced he was going to his study to give them the information on the shelter in Italy. I wrapped my night robe tighter to myself and watched Indus fidget around the room awkwardly. After a few minutes he finally turned towards me and said, "I don't blame you for what you did to Dorado. He's not very good with women." I nodded, not knowing what else to say.

Tom burst in a moment later. He told Indus to hold out his left arm, and as soon as he did, Tom pointed his wand at it. "Morsmorde Corpus," Tom said and a black spell jetted from his wand to form the same skull and snake mark that I had on my own right arm.

After the spell was finished, Indus rubbed his arm trying to distract himself from the pain the Dark Mark caused. "If you want to get a hold of me, just press your wand to the Mark. But please only do so in emergencies. Owls work fine otherwise." Tom handed Indus a small piece of parchment.

As Indus was exiting, Tom advised him, "You might want to try looking for your brother out here first. I've put up an Anti-Apparation charm about a mile wide, so he's probably wandering around in the forest over there." The Selwyn brother nodded, gave a slight bow, and went on his way.

Tom turned around and walked towards the bed. He didn't look at me when I walked past him to put the dishes away. I twirled my wand and performed a washing and drying spell on the plates and pan. I took a big sigh and my sleepiness hit me like a train. I could feel my eyelids weighing down heavily. I turned back to Tom, who was also lying on the right side of bed half asleep. I was glad to see him like this, so hopefully we could both rest for a while.

As I lied down on the left side, I heard him mutter tiredly, "No, Eva. We need to get up. We have a lot to do."

"Do we?" I asked as I turned my head towards his. His eyes were closed and his arms were cradling his head. He gave a big yawn that was contagious. While finishing my own yawn, I said, "My lord, can't you see we are both still exhausted. Even though it's only Wednesday, let's just take today off. We can work next Sunday instead."

Tom grunted disagreeably, but he said no more. I stared at his handsome, sleepy face for a minute before I too drifted back to sleep.

My eyes slowly blinked as I woke up feeling rested. I peered out the kitchen window facing north. It was late afternoon and the sun was setting. The pinks and orange hues of the sun were lighting up the trees so beautifully. I quickly looked at Tom to my right, and he was sound asleep. His body was stretched on top of the blanket and he was breathing slowly. Although I didn't mean to, I watched him sleep for quite some time, enjoying being able to do so. Even though all we did was sleep, it was a nice feeling to share your bed with someone. Tom usually woke me up in the mornings so very rarely did I ever see him sleeping. Thinking about it, I was surprised how much he had slept in the past twenty-four hours. Honestly though, unless I could coordinate the sun with our stove-clock, I really didn't know how long we had been sleeping.

I pulled my eyes away from his face to stare back out at the light emitting off the setting sun. The light was making all the colors richer as the sun set lower. It was so peaceful to be able to lie down, watch the sun set, see the breeze move through the trees, and hear the birds sing their evening songs. Tom had been somewhat of a demanding master, and I rarely, if ever, had the time to just lie in bed and look out the window to appreciate our home.

I turned back to Tom as the last rays were making their way through the view outside. His grey eyes surprised me, since I had assumed he was still sleeping. I didn't know how long he had been awake. I blinked and waited for him to say something, but we just kept looking at each other silently. His face was blank, and he was hiding his emotions. Still, we had never just lied in bed and stared at each other. My heart began to beat a little faster, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

Then Tom pushed himself up slightly and balanced his head on right arm while throwing his left arm over me. My heart sped up and my breath caught in my throat. I was sure he could tell. His upper body was almost on top of me. Our faces were so close. His eyes had softened but the rest of his face was still impassive. My chest was tight and my stomach felt like it was doing flips. What did he plan on doing right now? Was he simply messing with my head?

I planned on asking him "What are we doing? However I was only able to say "What-"

Right before I spoke, a flash of determination had appeared on Tom's face. As I spoke, he bent his head closer and kissed me before I could finish my question. I was totally unprepared since Tom had leaned in close like this a couple times before only to pull away at the last moment. My heart raced even further, and I saw flashbacks of when he kissed me so long ago at Hogwarts.

Within seconds, he had rolled over so that his body was on top of me and his hands were placed next to my head for support. Although he didn't place his full weight on me, the pressure he did give was welcomed. He didn't break away from me and kept kissing me, while I eagerly kissed back. I was thrilled to feel him so close to me. Was I still asleep and dreaming about this? I had dreams like this before, but this time it seemed too real.

Tom's body pressed further into mine as he moved his hands behind my back and kissed me more. At first I had closed my eyes, just to be able to appreciate all the sensations. Now with his hands feeling my body, I wanted to look at him and make sure this was indeed Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Examining his beautiful face, I realized that it was. My heart skipped beat seeing what I had craved for so long was coming true. He had his eye closed as well, but with a slight frown creasing between his eyebrows. I wondered why he was taking it so seriously and brought my hand up to caress his face. I had wanted to do that so often for the past year and half and now I finally could! I closed my eyes again relishing his closeness and the feeling of his lips against mine. My hands went through his hair and gently cradled his head. His hands were moving to the front of my body, and it felt like there were faeries flying around in my stomach.

He reached for my night robe and tried his hardest to pull it off. But it was too difficult and uncomfortable since I had to pull my arms out of the sleeves anyways. Tom must have recognized this and sat up, breaking our kiss. He had straddled my hips and was kneeling on top of me. His face looked a mix of frustration and intensity. Tom looked so handsome, even though I had messed up his hair. I couldn't really believe that this was happening. He took a deep breath after sitting up and told me in a deep voice, "Take your clothes off."

I froze slightly, wondering if I heard him right. Where were we going with this? I felt conflicted and also embarrassed since I wasn't sure if I wanted Tom to see me naked to begin with. It's true that I had imagined a lot of things going on between Tom and I – but those were fantasies. It was completely different now, with the real Tom towering above me.

I had to remind myself that it indeed was the real Tom. I told myself that I was not about to lose this opportunity. I had wanted him for too long, and damned everything if I didn't take advantage of it now. I didn't know what had finally allowed Tom to want to be this way with me. At this moment I didn't care – I just wanted to do anything and everything with him.

I pulled myself out from under him to kneel on the bed too. That way I could sit up to take my robe off. Although I wanted this, I still was too nervous to look at him as I pulled my arms out of the sleeves. I threw the robe on the floor, and now I was just in my nightgown. It was long and lilac in color with no sleeves and just straps. It showed off a lot of skin on my shoulders and chest, but I rarely slept without the robe on. Underneath the nightgown I was just wearing underwear and no bra. I was overcome with hesitation, and I sat there immobile.

I stared out the kitchen window and listened to Tom's heavy breathing. The sun had completely gone beyond the horizon and twilight had appeared. He placed his hands on my thighs and slightly gripped me. "Take it all off," he demanded in a low voice that sent shivers down my back and a blush on my face. A heat was rising in me, and I turned back to look at him in the face.

Tom's expression was vaguely familiar, and soon I remembered where I had seen it: in the Chamber of Secrets and a few months ago when he had pinned me against the dresser. It was one of hunger and desire. But unfortunately that reminded me also of the stare Dorado had given me earlier today and last night. I wrapped my arms around my chest, feeling a surge of embarrassment and wondering if this was what I really wanted to do.

"I-I don't know – I'm so nervous," I whispered. Silently he moved his hands up to hold my face. He leaned in to me, and I watched as he kissed me once again. Immediately I closed my eyes and let myself fall into my emotions. Then he moved his lips down my jaw and onto my neck. I was surprised at his actions, and I held back a moan when he had kissed a sensitive spot. My hand automatically found his head, and I ran my fingers through his hair.

"Okay, okay, I will," I said breathily, trying hard to maintain composure. He gave a little chuckle and moved his lips back to mine. I knelt forward to pull my nightgown off and above my hips. From there, I knew I had to take the plunge and there was no going back. But this was what I wanted – what I terribly wanted. Tom could sense my hesitation and broke off our kiss. He stared at my nightgown which was only covering my torso. He reached down and pulled it over my head and arms in one quick motion. Instinctively I covered my chest while a wave of nervousness came over me. I had never been this naked in front of someone – not even Rookwood.

I looked at Tom's face and it was full of desire. He was so perfect looking, and I felt inadequate compared to him. Then I had to remind myself that it was me he desired. He let go of my face and slowly pulled my arms away. I saw him look over my naked body, but I couldn't face him. I was still terribly embarrassed, even though this was what we both wanted. Somehow I was afraid he would stop his advances, either that it was all a trick or he had changed his mind.

But then he pulled my body close to his and buried his head into my neck. His hands stroked my bare back. After a few moments, in a slightly forcible manner, pushed me down into the bed and hovered above me. I stared at his face. It had changed again, which could be due to the dimming light. This time he appeared like a normal man – there was no coldness or betterment in his face like usual. He seemed almost content with a spark of intensity hidden behind his eyes. He simply looked happy, a pure emotion which I had not seen before on Tom Riddle's face.

He kissed me again, but this time ran a hand up my bare stomach. I couldn't contain my giggle because his hands were so cold and the sensation had shocked me. Then he began to kiss me on my neck again while moving his hand up to my breast. As he kissed around my jaw, I suddenly burst out with pleasure. Quickly I bit my lip because I had not expected it, and I blushed with embarrassment. Tom just kept trying to go back and find the spot on my neck that had caused my outburst. After causing me to cry out another two or three times, he pulled off of me. His face had an aroused grin. Both of his hands slid down to my hips and pulled the last of my clothing off.

I knew what was going to happen. There was not much to think about in the moment since we were so consumed in each other. Briefly I wondered if I was being too easy. Was Tom doing this because he wants my body or because he really loves me? However, I really did not care as much as I thought I would. All I wanted was Tom, regardless of what he thought of me.

It was very dark in the house now because we had not lit any candles and there was no more light outside. Tom was kneeling in front of me fidgeting with his pajamas and trying to take them off. After about half a minute's struggle, his pants were off and he spread my legs. He probably couldn't see me blush, but I know I was terribly red. I had had sex before, but we had kept most of our clothes on. This was a whole new experience, and one that I was happy to spend with Tom. Finally he was inside of me, and it was amazing – like just he and I had been transported to some ethereal place. I felt drunk with pleasure, and I gave into my impulses. After a few moments, Tom became too hot and stopped to take his shirt off. He laid his bare chest against mine, and I wrapped my arms around him. His head was next to mine, buried in my neck and shoulder. I began to kiss his neck. Within moments he moved his head to kiss me feverishly and grabbed my hips with his hands. After he gave a few intense shudders, kissing me even harder and squeezing my flesh, he collapsed onto me and rolled over to the empty side of the bed. Although the whole experience felt like it had lasted hours, probably not more than fifteen minutes had gone by.

I looked over to Tom, and he was breathing heavily with is eyes closed and his hands lying on his chest. Quickly he pulled the blankets over himself to be covered. I smiled a little bit, knowing that he was nervous like me. I could feel my face flush and my body radiating. What had happened was indescribable, and I honestly didn't want to stop. But Tom looked exhausted. He had done most of the work so I didn't say anything.

I desperately wanted to cuddle close to him, but I wasn't sure how he would handle it. Although we had been close just moments ago, Tom was very fickle and I didn't want to ruin our mood. Still, I couldn't resist moved a little closer to him on the bed. Tom didn't make any reaction and kept his eyes closed. I almost wondered if he was going to go back to sleep.

I, however, was wide awake. While I studied his face, I was hit by the reality of what had happened. Tom Riddle, who I had loved and adored since I was in Hogwarts, had sex with me. I didn't give it much thought before, but now I wondered what exactly had made Tom change his mind about us. Did this change our relationship now? I mean, of course it would – but did it mean that he would start seeing me as his woman rather than his servant? I sighed. Probably not, but I wouldn't give up hope so quickly. Then I wondered if this was a one-time thing, which Tom would never speak of again. I kept staring at Tom as he was sleeping, or at least appeared to be sleeping. Maybe I dreamed all of this? I began pinching my skin to wake myself up because I desperately wanted to know if it was all my imagination.

The pain told me I was wide awake, which made more nervous than I thought I would be. If what happened between us was real, what do we do now? I wasn't sure, but I knew that I desperately wanted to wrap my arms around him and feel his skin. He seemed like he was sleeping pretty deeply so I decided to risk it. I shifted myself closer to him and slowly laid my left arm across his bare chest. He didn't move, so I put my face close to his. I wanted to kiss him as well, since we had kissed so much earlier and it was such a pleasant feeling. I brought my face close to his, slow enough not to wake him. As I went to put my lips onto his, I saw one of his eyes open to look at me.

Startled, I jumped off him. I snatched whatever covers were near me and pulled them up to my neck as soon as I realized I was completely naked. He opened the other eye and looked back at me amused. Then he said, "I'm hungry."

I huffed - he was always hungry. I went to stand up and tried to take the sheets with me to wrap myself up. However, Tom was holding onto them as well and refused to give it to me. "Just be naked," he laughed. I blushed again and quickly knelt onto the floor to gather up my clothes and to hide myself behind the height of the bed. Thankfully it was still pretty dark in the house so he couldn't see much as I put on my underwear and nightgown. Even though I had just been so vulnerable with him, we had been caught in the throes of passion. Now we were much calmer, and I was afraid that he would analyze me and find out all my imperfections. He did that to everything and everyone, so I knew my body would not be free from his scrutiny. As I stood up fully clothed, he flicked the candles on and the house lit up. It was so strange to see him lying half naked in bed with his hair astray and his eyes full of amusement.

I found my way around the kitchen, and it felt surreal to make us dinner. I had done it for days on end now, but today it was so different. Before I had made dinner for me and my master but now I was making dinner for me and my lover. Last weekend I had harvested some of my winter crop, so I decided to make a soup out of it with some chicken broth I had preserved. I glanced back at Tom every so often. He simply lied there on the bed watching me cook. It seemed like he was contemplating what had gone on between us.

I thought about it too. I felt like I had tried very hard in the past year to just act as friends and nothing more. Now, obviously, I couldn't be that way. Didn't he realize that would happen? But I wasn't sure what he wanted – would he allow me to act lovingly to him as I so dearly wanted to? Or would he be cold with me like usual and then change when he wanted my body? Or we may never even have sex again, which would be very sad indeed. But at least I had the memory in my heart. Whatever the future held, I knew that I cared and loved him more than anyone in my life, and I truly would follow him to the ends of the earth.

As the broth began to boil, he said to me in a serious tone, "Eva, I want you to listen to me. Don't equate what happened between us to mean that I love you because I don't."

I turned around to look at him warmly. "I understand. I really didn't expect you to. But you can't expect me to change my feelings easily either."

I turned back to the soup and pulled it off the stove to serve. As I was setting the table, I heard Tom sit up and get dressed. Although a part of me wanted to watch, I knew he wouldn't like it – just as I had not liked him to watch me earlier. I smiled to myself realizing how silly we were being.

Tom had arrived to sit at the table right when I was taking out my own chair. He had tried to fix his hair, but it was not quite back to normal. He wore his pajamas again. At first I thought it was strange he didn't wear regular clothes, but then I realized it was nighttime. My internal time was so broken because we had slept all day; it felt like it was late morning not early night. Suddenly the stove buzzed to indicate the time was at the top of the hour. It must have been around six o'clock or even seven due to how dark it was outside.

We silently ate our soup, and I couldn't imagine any conversation that wouldn't be awkward. However, the heavy silence was also becoming hard to bear. I would catch a glimpse of Tom every so often to see what his expression was. His face was a mask, like usual. But I remembered I had broken that mask not long ago. I wanted to do it again, but I felt like I was walking a thin line that I couldn't even see.

"Is…the soup okay?" I said slowly, probably dripping with discomfort. I felt like it was the only unloaded question I could ask.

I watched him, waiting for some kind of response. He raised an eyebrow and quickly looked at me. "It's fine," he replied coolly. He went back to looking at the bowl that was almost empty. He swirled his spoon around in it, and then let it clatter into the bowl. He stared at the bowl as he spoke, "It tasted fine."

"Good. I'm glad it was fine." Another intolerable silence passed between us. "I thought maybe I would prepare a chicken tomorrow. We have quite a few now." Tom nodded uninterestedly. He didn't look at me. After trying to find a conversation for us to relax with, I decided to ask more about where the Selwyn brothers were sent to.

"Indus and Dorado should be on their way to Italy. Did you know this Italian wizard because of your Borgin and Burkes job?"

Tom sighed and caught my eye. His tone was bored. "Yes. Orsino Amani is a dark objects dealer who I had dealings with. I assumed he would be the best fit for those two, and maybe even find them some work to do. Also, the Italian Ministry doesn't tend to work well with the British Ministry concerning convicts, so that was another plus."

"Oh, how do you know?" I asked, taking a last bite of soup.

"Amani told me. Something to do with one of the more recent goblin wars where Britain wouldn't give Italy back their deserters. I'm not sure," he waved his hand impatiently, "but I doubt their doubles in Azkaban have been found out so it doesn't matter."

He leaned back in his chair and began to fiddle with his wand. He kept his eye on me now, studying me intently. I wanted to keep talking because it distracted me from my emotions. "I do hope they make it there without an incident." Dorado's suffering face under the Cruciatus curse flashed in my mind. I remembered how he left, so pleased that he had been tortured. He was like a demon in human flesh.

My eyes found Tom and instantly I remembered his expression as he cursed Dorado. Maybe it was Tom who was the demon rather than Dorado. "My lord? I am curious why you sent Dorado away first. Something about what you saw in his mind?"

A dark glare came over Tom, and he didn't seem very keen on talking about it. I probably should have chosen another topic, but I had been curious since the event happened so fast. I remember Tom saying something about how Dorado wasn't allowed to think about me. Part of me was disgusted that I was in Dorado's thoughts, but the other part felt elated to know that Tom didn't like it either.

"He was acting inappropriate," Tom said coldly.

"Well, it was just in his thoughts. I'm sure he wasn't going to do anything. If he tried something, I would have made sure to even out his other eyebrow."

Tom gave a half chuckle but still looked as if he would rather talk about something else. I stared at him intensely and lowered my voice, "I think you just wanted an excuse to curse him for what he tried with me this morning… and last night."

His eyes widened with surprise and he said, "Last night too?" Then he huffed and crossed his chest. He thought about my words for a few moments then gave a wicked smile. "Maybe I did… it was certainly fun."

That wasn't the response I had expected, yet it was not completely unsurprising. My heart pounded as he leaned in closer over the table to me. His eyes were hungry like they had been earlier that evening. "Perhaps I should do it more often. To be safe, you had better stay in line – unless you want to be next."

He burst out laughing after seeing my face. I most definitely had a frightened expression since I was sure he was about to pull his wand out and indeed curse me. My heart pumped faster, and I stood up quickly to grab the dishes. Although he may not have been serious, Tom still gave me goose bumps. I almost couldn't believe we had been so intimate less than an hour ago and now he was jokingly threating me. Then again, this was Tom Riddle.

I stood next to the sink enchanting the dishes to clean and dry themselves when I felt his hands touch my waist. I froze, remembering everything that had happened to us. Was it going to happen again? I tried to keep my hopes down so that it wouldn't be crushed if he pushed me away like usual – but it was very difficult when he was so close to me.

Then Tom rested his head against my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my body. His hands moved up my stomach and ended on my breasts. He began to kiss my shoulder, and I could feel his warm breath. It dawned on me that our encounter today was not a one-time deal. While my heart began beating faster I gave out a cry of pleasure.


End file.
